For the social media addict in your life… one site isn’t as bad as it seems

Facebook has a lousy reputation.

Over the past couple of years there have been numerous research papers claiming that the social media site makes us angry and depressed. It's safe to say we all get FOMO when we see our friends from five years ago living it up in New York... but is it really so terrible as many believe? Not according to this recent study. The research, which was conducted in the University of Derby, found that short Facebook sessions can actually positively impact our wellbeing. The lead researcher, Dr Zaheer Hussain, wanted to find out how long people stay on Facebook before feeling stressed and low in themselves. He asked 163 people to take part in a short online survey, and then after, asked them to spend time on Facebook. Another survey was then presented to the participants before Dr Hussain studied the results. He found that when people spent five minutes or less on Facebook, they actually become less stressed and less narcissistic. He further found that when people are stressed out to begin with, a short Facebook session can actually help them calm down. Dr Hussain explained, "users who browsed their close friends, chatted with them, or viewed positive content on social networking sites would display a momentary increase in self-esteem.” So, it seems like keeping it short and sweet on social media is the key to remaining positive online.