Feeling a bit low tonight because you have to go back to work tomorrow? No worries, simply log on to Facebook, look through a few of your old pictures and watch as your mood instantly gets better.
The Daily Mail reports that according to some new research, looking back through your Facebook profile can make you feel happier and be as soothing as a walk in the park.
According to researchers at the University of Portsmouth, we typically post positive pictures and status updates on the social-networking website so looking back over them when we’re upset immediately gets us thinking about happier times.
The research revealed that 90 per cent of Facebook users have a habit of looking at their own wall posts and three quarters do this whenever they’re feeling low. In fact, the more depressed someone is, the more effective ‘Facebook soothing’ actually is.
Log on, feel happier: looking at old pictures can ‘soothe’ us in times of upset
“We were very surprised by these findings which contradict some recent reports. The results indicate we could use self-soothing as a form of treatment for low moods. Although this was only a small study, we will go on to study larger groups to see if the results remain consistent,” said Dr Alice Good, one of the researchers.
As part of the study, Dr Good questioned 144 Facebook users about how often they browse through their old pictures and wall posts.
86 per cent of the study participants visited Facebook more than once a day, with 75 per cent looking at their own pictures and 86 per cent looking at their own wall posts every time. These were the most popular activities to do on the website and also the ones that made users the happiest.
“These findings are fascinating. Facebook is marketed as a means of communicating with others, but this research shows we are more likely to use it to connect with our past selves, perhaps when our present selves need reassuring,” said Dr Clare Wilson, a psychologist from the University of Portsmouth.
“The pictures we often post are reminders of a positive past event. When in the grips of a negative mood, it is too easy to forget how good we often feel, and our positive posts can remind us of this,” she added.
So there you have it, if you feel sad, have a browse on Facebook…
