Washington: Social media site Facebook`s use might fulfill the need for an individual to connect socially but it also predicts the decline in happiness, a new study has revealed.
According to the study carried out by researchers from the University of Michigan, use of Facebook rather than enhancing well being, undermines it.
The study found that the more people used Facebook during one time period, the worse they subsequently felt.
However, the researchers found no evidence that interacting directly with other people via phone or face-to-face negatively influenced well-being as direct interactions with other people led people to feel better over time.
Although people were more likely to use Facebook when they were lonely, loneliness and Facebook use both independently predicted how happy participants subsequently felt.
Social psychologist and lead author of the article, Ethan Kross said that it was not the case that Facebook use served as a proxy for feeling bad or lonely.
Emotion researcher and co-author of the article, Philippe Verduyn said that it is the advantage of studying Facebook use and well-being as dynamic processes that unfold over time as it allows drawing inferences about the likely causal sequence of Facebook use and well-being.
ANI
