The Facebook Experiment: Quitting Facebook Leads to Higher Levels of Well-Being
Publication: Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking
Volume 19, Issue Number 11
Abstract
Most people use Facebook on a daily basis; few are aware of the consequences. Based on a 1-week experiment with 1,095 participants in late 2015 in Denmark, this study provides causal evidence that Facebook use affects our well-being negatively. By comparing the treatment group (participants who took a break from Facebook) with the control group (participants who kept using Facebook), it was demonstrated that taking a break from Facebook has positive effects on the two dimensions of well-being: our life satisfaction increases and our emotions become more positive. Furthermore, it was demonstrated that these effects were significantly greater for heavy Facebook users, passive Facebook users, and users who tend to envy others on Facebook.
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking
Volume 19 • Issue Number 11 • November 2016
Pages: 661 - 666
PubMed: 27831756
Copyright
Copyright 2016, Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.
History
Published in print: November 2016
Published online: 1 November 2016
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No competing financial interests exist.
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