Studies say you could have a problem that'll balloon into a health calamity sooner or later. From drug and alcohol abuse to clinical depression and slower cognitive skills, the wondrous world of social media has many health issues hidden under its convenience belt. But there's plenty of good news too. Read on to find out why social media isn't all bad, and what researchers say about clever use of online networking tools for health benefits.
Bigger brain areas linked to Facebook popularity: Contrary to what some believe, more Facebook friends might be related to thicker grey matter areas. Researchers from University College London took MRI scans of 125 university students. The study found that high numbers of Facebook friends were connected to increased size in certain brain regions (via Reuters). Whether this makes us smarter or not, isn't part of the study's findings but we wonder if Facebook intelligence can actually translate into real life as well.
Facebook depression - now at a browser near you: Two years ago, researchers at Stony Brook University, New York, created quite a stir when they declared that Facebook over-use causes depression. The subjects were a group of 13 year old girls, interviewed before and after the period of one year. Results showed that the girls who shared their lives and thoughts on Facebook to a large extent had 'significantly higher levels of depression.' But shouldn't discussing problems help as a coping mechanism? Perhaps not in an environment that is open to people who don't care about you.
Social media in moderation might be the key: More recently, in Jan 2011, another group of researchers from Switzerland found that teenagers who over-used or under-used the internet for networking were at a great risk of teen depression. Heavy users were those who spent more than two hours online, and under-users were those who seldom, if ever, surfed. An interesting detail - 18% of heavy male users were overweight, and 59% of heavy female users were sleep deprived.
Shorter attention spans = poor reading habits: Neuroscientist Susan Greenfield has spoken extensively about how internet habits affect the minds of children. "My fear is that these technologies are infantilising the brain into the state of small children who are attracted by buzzing noises and bright lights, who have a small attention span and who live for the moment," she told the Daily Mail in 2009. Shorter attention spans could potentially harm cognitive skill development, especially when you consider that the new babysitter for children is not TV, but the internet.
Now the good news - online social groups may benefit health: In 2010, Damon Centola from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, attempted to create a 'social petri dish' (via Reuters). His objective - to find out which kind of social network group would lead to positive health influences - a large low discussion group, or a small cluster of people who interacted frequently. The end goal was to have the participants register in a health forum. The small cluster worked better in influencing registration. This tells us that we are likelier to react to suggestions, even repeated, from a close group of friends/influencers. And when it's our health at stake - we react well.
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