Social Media

Does social media cause depression?

Many things related to social media can affect the studies on depression found.

There have been numerous studies that show that social media are related to the depression, loneliness, hyperactivity, poor sleep quality and anxiety. However, these are correlations, not causation.

For example, a interesting study of university students in the University of Pennsylvania found that when students reduce social media use to below 30 minutes a day, they have a significant improvement in their well-being.

In fact, many things that social media can affect, such as physical activity, lack of sleep, interrupted concentration, and cyberbullying, are linked to depression in many studies. This is the reason why studies on the use of social networks They are correlational, rather than causal, because it would be very difficult to discover what causes depression.

Is it social media itself or the other things associated with social media, such as lack of sleep, that cause depression?

Regardless of the cause, we can identify thatthe use of the social media can lead to feelings of depression and isolation, largely because social networks are the language of a virtual world. In this virtual world, we don't have direct contact with other things like touch, subtle social cues, or pheromones, which are all the things that make the dopamine Our brains light up when we are with someone in person.

And those face-to-face interactions can be so important that they have even been shown to They have a positive impact on longevity. In the study of blue zones where people live longer and are happier, in-person interaction predicts happiness more than almost any other variable such as diet and exercise.

Right now, we all have much less Social interactions that before the pandemic, so it's normal for people to feel a little isolated. But social networks can generate more feelings of isolation because most people present the happy version of their life instead of the real version of their life. Therefore, it can lead people who participate in social media to think that everyone lives in a more perfect world than they actually do.

For example, if you just broke up with your boyfriend or girlfriend, you might not post it on the social networks. But, if you had face-to-face contact, you would tell a friend and they would probably give you a hug, give you advice, or talk about their own previous breakups and what they learned. These exchanges of social and emotional reciprocity Among friends and family they decrease your feelings of loneliness, make you feel more connected to the people around you, and protect you against depression.

Then, what can we do?

Well, as I mentioned, studies have shown that Limiting social media use to less than 30 minutes a day can help improve your well-being.

Set app limits Screen Time to keep you honest! Another option is to turn off all alerts on your phone. By using alerts, phones and apps are designed to keep you engaged and distract you from being present in the moment (watch the movie The Social Dilemma!). I recommend turning off alerts on your phone or any messaging tools you receive, including email and text message alerts. This can limit the addictive quality of social media and encourage you to foster more empathetic connections and face to face with your loved ones.

Oh, and one last thing! During this campaign season, we also It can be dangerous to participate in political debates on social media. These can be very annoying and may end up becoming a dead end for you and others around you. Politicizing social media will probably only annoy him, it will become polarizing and could damage healthy relationships with family and friends. I also recommend that you do not befriend, or remain silent, those who have highly politicized posts to avoid getting caught on the train of opposition. negativity.