Feeling Down? Consider Putting Away Your Phone (at least for a while)

May 13, 2016

Are you having a bummer of a day? Of course there might be myriad reasons why you’re feeling depressed and one of them may be linked to social media.

Yahoo wrote an article about a recent research study by the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.

The study revealed that people were more than two times more likely to have eating habits and body image issues if they spent a considerable amount of time on social media. Basically, more time = more issues.

But you have to use a little bit of caution here. The study couldn’t quite figure out if the people who reported having eating habits or body image problems were already susceptible. In other words, were folks at risk more likely to use social media, or was it social media that exasperated the issues.

One factor is our desire to portray ourselves in the best light. We’re likely to only post the best images of ourselves on social media. And so are others. This fuels a perception that isn’t quite on point.

The UK’s Daily Mail posted an interesting article that looked at the same research.

The article reaffirms the idea that people who aren’t feeling so great about themselves may turn to social media to connect with others with similar issues. But in doing that, they are then exposed to portrayals of others that are not realistic.

Of course with any research the findings can be inconclusive. The researchers fully admit this.

So, maybe do a little research for yourself. Do a social media fast and see how you feel. It doesn’t have to be forever, but it’s worth a try.

There's an excellent video onYouTube that examines the negatives associated with using your phone too much. You can watch Prince Ea's video here.