There’s an unexpected health benefit to social media usage

Use this next time someone gives out to you for your Instagram obsession.

Is your other half an Instagram husband? Do you make them wait until you get a perfect snap of your colourful dinner or make them take 'candid' photos of you on dates? If they complain about you living life through a phone, make sure to show them this. It turns out that sharing your life on Instagram can actually be very good for you in the long run. A new study took a look at the effect social media has on your brain, and more specifically your memory. Researchers had previously established that talking and writing about experiences can help to sustain them as memories, so it made sense to look at social media, which is now the go-to place for sharing experiences. Sixty-six students took part in the study in which they were asked to keep a diary for a week where they would describe each day. The researchers found that if they event had also been posted to social media, the students were much more likely to remember them clearly.

"Social media - blogs, Facebook, Twitter, and others alike - provide an important outlet for us to recall memories, in the public space, and share with other people." Qi Wang, the lead author of the study said.

Pictures particularly had a strong effect, due to the visual aspect and the comments and feedback from posting them online. So while social media use improves memory photos specifically help us to remember the memory more clearly. So next time someone complains about you taking too many selfies, tell them it's good for your brain.