According to a news report released today by Fox 5 News, spending just 80 minutes on Facebook per day is enough to cause depression and anxiety disorders in both children and adults. Could this aimless scrolling, where you catch sneak peeks of ‘friends’ lives, be the root cause of the rising number of individuals diagnosed with depression and anxiety disorders?
According to researchers, the answer is yes. While many people blame Facebook and Instagram for a variety of teenage issues, adults are equally susceptible. Records indicate that the average Facebook user spends at least 85 minutes per day on the platform. 85 minutes—that’s over an hour per day spent with your head down, scrolling through the news feeds of people you may know (and some you only know in passing), completely immersed in the lives of others.
And, of course, everyone else’s life on Facebook seems far more interesting than yours. But is this actually reality?
The truth is, most of what people post on Facebook and other social media sites are just snapshots of the highlights of their lives. They post pictures of vacations, beautiful children, accomplishments, and future plans. Everyone seems to be smiling and happy. Some users post dramatic lead-in comments, hinting at personal issues, while others share photos of a new baby, a new boat, or a new house. What is easy to forget is that all of these pictures and posts are just highlights—a selective representation of a person’s life.
You won’t see posts about how someone had to take out a second mortgage on their house to afford the new boat, or how their kids whined incessantly before the airboat ride. You won’t see the behind-the-scenes reality of a long car ride where the kids were acting out. You also won’t find proud parents posting report cards showing their kids barely passed their classes. But you will see pictures of their child excelling in a recent sporting event.
The Psychological Impact of Social Media
What happens as you scroll is that you subconsciously get sucked into the drama of other people’s lives and fall prey to the ‘woe is me’ syndrome, believing that everyone else’s life is better than yours. Suddenly, you find yourself thinking about someone else’s vacation, a neighbor’s new job, or the woman you’ve seen but don’t really know, looking great in a bikini while you struggle with muffin top. Sadly, this means that your daily 80 minutes on Facebook not only robs you of time you could spend on productive activities in your own life, but it also bleeds into the rest of your day.
Is what other people are doing so important? In the larger scope of life, do the actions of those around you really matter or affect your life in a positive way—or at all? While social media can be a nice way to stay in touch with friends and family, it’s important to set self-imposed limits to avoid its negative impact on your life. At some point, while you’re waiting in line for a Subway sandwich or scrolling through Facebook at a red light, you have to ask yourself: Do you really care? Or are you just being nosy? And how has all this so-called insight into other people’s lives helped you?
While you may not readily admit it, researchers say social media causes jealousy and resentment. Today, we see wives divorcing their husbands because they try to measure their relationships by what they see happening on social media. Teenagers lash out, and elementary school kids are envious of their classmates’ exotic spring break vacations.
What has happened is that people—who would traditionally satisfy their curiosity by snooping through a friend’s medicine cabinet—have taken their nosiness to a whole new level. Since we can scroll in private, we feel safe and secure peeking into the lives of others, including people we’ve never had a face-to-face conversation with. We post our own pictures or comments and sit back, hoping for ‘likes’ or comments in return, seeking validation.
But these other people—who, in the grand scheme of your life, make no real difference—can neither validate nor invalidate you. They do not make you happy or unhappy, unless you allow them to.
From the perspective of social media, it may seem like everyone else is living the dream while you’re stuck on the sidelines, simply watching the world around you excel and succeed while your life seems stuck in neutral. This is the problem. As human beings, we tend to become whatever we focus on. And instead of spending 85 minutes improving our own lives, we invest that time in the lives of others. Instead of brainstorming new ideas while waiting in line, or even just learning to relax, we constantly fill our brains with stimuli from other people’s lives. This, in most cases, makes us feel bad about our own lives.
For teens—who are already vulnerable to feelings of insecurity—Facebook and Instagram can become all-consuming platforms that trigger long-term depression, anger, and anxiety disorders.
The key to overcoming this is balance and self-discipline. Before you log onto Facebook during the workday, while you’re waiting for something, or after dinner, take a moment to consider what you could be doing to improve YOUR life. If you’re constantly stressing that you don’t have time to exercise, for example, start exercising instead of scrolling through pictures of people you know who are in great shape. Take back control of your life and monitor your social media use. Even more importantly, pay attention to how you feel when you’re on these sites. The silent dialogue in your head is the most important indicator of whether your social media time is helping or hindering you. Listen to it. Pay attention. And when you start feeling overwhelmed with self-pity, self-scrutiny, or that ‘woe is me’ feeling, take those extra 85 minutes and use them to do something that will improve your life.
