Depressive Symptoms May Occur For Some Individuals When Using Facebook

New findings published in the Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology have linked use of the social media site, Facebook, to various depressive symptoms.

Researchers at the University of Houston (UH) stress that while time spent on the site can help many connect and reach out to others, it can also result in some comparing themselves to the activities and accomplishments of other friends in an obsessive way. 

"Although social comparison processes have been examined at length in traditional contexts, the literature is only beginning to explore social comparisons in online social networking settings," said Steers, a doctoral candidate in social psychology at UH, in a news release. 

Researchers conducted two studies to investigate how social comparison to peers on Facebook held an impact on psychological health. Both studies resulted in findings that revealed how Facebook users felt depressed when comparing themselves to others.

"It doesn't mean Facebook causes depression, but that depressed feelings and lots of time on Facebook and comparing oneself to others tend to go hand in hand," added Steers.

In the first study, there was an association between time spent on Facebook and depression of both genders. Yet the findings demonstrated that making Facebook social comparisons mediated the link between time spent on the site and depressive symptoms for men only. Yet in the second study, researchers found a relationship that was mediated by social comparisons on Facebook. And unlike the first study, gender did not moderate the associations.

"One danger is that Facebook often gives us information about our friends that we are not normally privy to, which gives us even more opportunities to socially compare," Steers said. "You can't really control the impulse to compare because you never know what your friends are going to post. In addition, most of our Facebook friends tend to post about the good things that occur in their lives, while leaving out the bad. If we're comparing ourselves to our friends' 'highlight reels,' this may lead us to think their lives are better than they actually are and conversely, make us feel worse about our own lives."

Particularly for excessively stressed individuals or those dealing with other issues, a distorted view of friends' lives can make some feel lonely and isolated or focused intently on internal issues.

"This research and previous research indicates the act of socially comparing oneself to others is related to long-term destructive emotions. Any benefit gained from making social comparisons is temporary and engaging in frequent social comparison of any kind may be linked to lower well-being," said Steers.