Empirically, the "too much Facebook" depression was already known by millions of users worldwide, but now, for the first time, a behavioral study has confirmed what many had been under the impression of for a very long time: staying in Facebook for far too long can lead to depression.
It seems like the first cause of the "too much Facebook" depression is actually envy, as users will often assume other people's lives are better, as they watch everything they post on the website and it accelerates feelings of discomfort about their own lives.
According to The Huffington Post, researchers of the Missouri University, working in conjunction with Nanyang Technological University and Bradley University, developed the new study about the "too much Facebook" depression, surveying 736 college students of different ages, reaching the conclusion that, more like any other social networking site, Facebook triggers strong feelings of envy among its users, finding that the way the site is used makes a huge different in how the users respond to it.
As CNN reports, the "too much Facebook" depression study found that, upon seeing what friends and acquaintances are up to in Facebook (what has been long considered as "stalking"), users will compare their own lives to theirs and, when it doesn't measure up, they'll feel bad about themselves.
"If Facebook is used to see how well an acquaintance is doing financially or how happy an old friend is in his relationship - things that cause envy among users - use of the site can lead to feelings of depression," said Margaret Duffy, a professor at the University of Missouri School of Journalism and one of the researchers in the "too much Facebook" depression study, according to Koco.
The News Bureau of the University of Missouri reports that, while knowledge of how to use social media is important, and they can even cause positive effects on well-being, but it turns into "too much Facebook" depression when the feelings lead to envy rather than empathy over what acquaintances are doing.
