Over the last decade, social media has occupied a large part of our lives. This large spread, especially with the presence of smart phones and tablets, has led to easy access to them, especially as they are easy to carry and move with us almost permanently.
But whether you realize it or not, social media can affect your health. A new study indicated that stopping the use of social networking sites for only one week may lead to a significant improvement in health, and a reduction in anxiety and depression.
Improving the level of well-being of individuals
In detail, a team of researchers at the University of Bath in the United Kingdom studied the mental health effects of stopping for a week from using social media. Some study participants saved nearly nine hours of their week, which they would have spent scrolling on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and TikTok, according to Medical Xpress.
The results, published in the American Journal of Cyber Psychology, Behavior and Social Networking, indicated that just one week away from social media improved individuals’ overall well-being and reduced symptoms of depression and anxiety.
The researchers also randomly assigned 154 individuals between the ages of 18 and 72 who used social media daily, to either an intervention group where they were asked to stop using all social media for one week, or a control group, where they could continue to scroll as usual. At the start of the study, baseline scores for anxiety, depression, and well-being were taken.
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The participants reported that they spent an average of 8 hours per week on social media at the beginning of the study. After one week, participants who were asked to take a one-week break had significantly better improvements in well-being and reduced symptoms of depression and anxiety than those who continued to use social media, indicating a short-term benefit.
Participants also asked to take a one-week break, and reported using social media for an average of 21 minutes compared to an average of 7 hours for those in the control group, and screen use statistics were provided to check individuals’ adherence to the break.
‘Rising concerns’
“Scrolling is so ubiquitous that many of us do it almost without thinking from the moment we wake up until we close our eyes at night,” said Jeff Lambert, principal investigator from Bath’s Department of Health.
“We know that social media use is huge and that there are growing concerns about its mental health effects. So with this study, we wanted to see if just asking people to take a week off can have mental health benefits,” Lambert continued, adding: “Many of our participants reported positive effects from social distancing with improved mood and less anxiety overall, which suggests that even a small break can have an effect.”
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In addition, the team now wants to build on the study to see if taking a short break can help different population groups, for example, young people or people with physical and mental health conditions.
It also aims to follow people for longer than one week to see if the benefits will last over time.
common problem
According to the researchers, feelings of “weakness” and a loss of pleasure are hallmarks of depression, while anxiety is characterized by excessive worrying and out of control, and well-being refers to an individual’s level of positive influence, life satisfaction, and a sense of purpose.
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It is noteworthy that according to Mind in the United Kingdom, one in six people suffers from a common mental health problem such as anxiety and depression in any given week.