The Journal of Epidemiology recently published a study that supports the growing pile of evidence to suggest that Facebook use may be linked to unhappiness. The result: Facebook use was significantly correlated with declines in overall well-being over the years, as well as the more specific categories of physical health, mental health and life satisfaction.
But wait, there’s more.
Source: Science of Us, May 15, 2017.
Still, it’s premature to draw any conclusions. Many researchers are unsure whether the results they’re seeing can be explained by the fact that depressed and lonely people simply tend to use Facebook more — after all, correlation doesn’t equal causation. And although some studies seem to address this issue by documenting how individuals’ moods change after using Facebook, they are still too small to be conclusive.
INSIGHTS: Our industry invests heavily in social media, including Facebook. For marketers it is important to monitor information like this to ensure we understand how to best use the tools.