You might have heard health experts saying that “sitting is the new smoking.” If you count the number of diseases to which sitting is linked and the number of people it kills yearly, you will understand how detrimental sitting is to your health.
One of the main things that keep us sitting is the addition of social media. One of the most common things we do while sitting is mindlessly scrolling through social media feed whenever we have a few spare minutes.
Social media offers countless benefits; however, there are downsides as well, especially for teenagers. We all know that, and the researchers claim that extensive use of social media isn’t a good habit and is harmful to your health.
Social media experts claim that eextensive use of social media is linked to depression, anxiety, and loneliness. Studies suggest that people who use social media more frequently are more depressed and less happy in their life. Resultantly, they spend more time on screen-related activities, which leads to more health complications.
In this guide, we will share some of the effects of social media on your health. So, stay attached to us and continue reading this guide until the end to learn how social media impacts your overall health.
4 Less-Known Effects of Social Media on Your Health
Here are a few notable effects of social media on your health.
1. Social Media is Addictive
Social media apps nearly have the same effect on the brain as playing a slot machine. As you don’t know the content you will see once you open the app, the spontaneous results cause a feeling of “reward” by releasing dopamine – the same chemical linked to pleasurable activities such as sex and food. Hence, you stay busy and keep scrolling through social media feeds without realizing the importance of time.
2. Social Media Use Triggers More Sadness
The more you use social media, the less happy you are likely to be. Studies suggest that extensive use of Facebook is linked to less happiness and life satisfaction. So, the more people use social media; the less is their satisfaction level in their daily life.
Furthermore, studies also suggest that extensive use of social media is linked to higher feelings of social isolation. The more time people spend on social media sites, the more socially isolated they are in their daily lives. And the worst thing is that social isolation drastically disrupts your mental health. So, if you want to ward off feelings of sadness and enjoy a prosperous life, you must limit the use of social media.
3. It Causes Fear of Missing Out
Another drawback of extensive social media use is that it causes Fear of Missing Out (FOMO). When you see all your classmates using social media, you have to start worrying about missing a message, an inside joke, or other information which connects you with your peers.
Social media distraction can lead to procrastination, less information retention, and elevated stress and anxiety levels. Furthermore, constant scrolling on social media leads to a detrimental effect on your schoolwork and studies. You may also experience feelings of loneliness and anxiety when you see others having a good time.
4. Social Media Can Lead to Feelings of Jealousy
There is no doubt that the comparison factor on social media leads to jealousy. When social media users see other people’s tropical vacations and perfectly behaving kids, they get impressed and feel jealous. These feelings of jealousy often lead to depression and anxiety.
Social media users fail to understand that people post only the positive side of the picture on social media. These social media influencers experience many more failures in their lives which they do not post on social media. So, there is no point in getting impressed by people on social media, and the best way to do so is by limiting its use.
