Science Says Giving Up Facebook Will Make You Happier

Social media has come to dominate the online world. Of all of the social mediums out there, Facebook is perhaps the most well known and the most commonly used. Many of us use it to keep in touch with old friends, it’s become the new email, but with the option of showing off meals and travel photos to anyone that cares to look at their news feed.

While keeping in touch is great, most of us have more Facebook “friends” than we do actual friends, many of whom we don’t talk to. Not only this, but we head to Facebook when we’re bored, just to see what everyone else is up to, we have a niggling curiosity that distracts us from work and life outside the web. An article on the Huffington Post notes that?giving up this addiction can make us happier people:

?In order to really look at how social networks, specifically Facebook, influence our sense of well-being, the Happiness Research Institute conducted a study of 1,095 Facebook users, 94 percent of whom visit Facebook as part of their daily routine, 86 percent who browse their Facebook news feed often or very often, and 78 percent who use Facebook 30 minutes or more per day.

At the end of the seven days, 88 percent of the treatment group (those who gave up Facebook) reported feeling happy compared to the 81 percent of the control group. The treatment group also reported feeling more enthusiastic, more decisive, wasted less time, and felt as if they enjoyed life more.?

While ditching Facebook altogether doesn’t sound like a great idea, considering many of us do still use it to keep in touch with good friends and family, perhaps taking a few breaks here and there, and trying not to let it intrude on other activities, would be a step in a happier direction. Check out the full post for all the details of the study.