The photo was originally uploaded to the 'Best Snapchat Warwick' page on Facebook. Photo: pixabay/simon

Facebook – a breeding ground for envy

It is safe to say that most of us are afflicted with a Facebook addiction. We all check it at least once a day, have it open at all times in a tab while online or, in extreme cases, spend hours mindlessly scrolling through the newsfeed. Inane status updates and random photo albums become extraordinarily fascinating when deadlines loom on the horizon.

A recent study by psychologists at the Humboldt University of Berlin and Technical University Darmstadt revealed that Facebook is affecting more than just our concentration; it provides a platform for social comparison and fuels feelings of envy. This has long-term repercussions on our well-being and overall life satisfaction.

In the study, 584 Facebook users were surveyed to determine their feelings while on the platform. The results revealed that your passiveness on Facebook relates to a decrease in your overall life satisfaction. That is to say, the more you stalk, the worse you feel about yourself. Due to the fact that people are far more likely to post positive news on Facebook than negative, it is easy to gain a skewed perspective of other people’s lives. Constant over-exposure to information about people who are seemingly having the time of their lives (on Facebook) inevitably makes you start to compare yourself to them. You tend to compare yourself most to people that are similar to you i.e. same age, gender, cultural background and social status and in areas that are important to you. For instance, women are more likely to envy others for their physical attractiveness. Overall, this breeds envy and hostility.

This begs the question, why do we do it? If spending time Facebook-stalking ultimately makes us more unhappy, why do we continue to wile away the hours online? As students, we spend much of our time surrounded by deadlines and exams, which can lead to high stress levels.
Studies have shown that high levels of one stress hormone, cortisol, can inhibit our neural circuits and make it harder for us to judge the outcome of our actions. This, coupled with the general feeling of fatigue accompanied by stress, can make procrastinating seem very appealing. Facebook gives our social needs a quick fix, which can be especially appealing after a long day stuck in the library studying.

Facebook can offer us an escape from the pressures of work and study as it is less about academic or career-related success, and more about social success. However, in the long-term, feelings of envy can cause frustration, mental suffering and even depression. The hostility this breeds causes social tension and isolation.

Some individuals overcompensate for their perceived ‘inferiority’ by excessively promoting themselves on Facebook, with overzealous status updates and pictures of that ‘super awesome exclusive party’ they attended. The resulting ‘self-promotion – envy spiral’, as the researchers termed it, creates a very negative environment from which people may eventually choose to distance themselves. While undesirable for the providers, it could be a healthy decision for individuals so strongly affected by social networking.

Facebook isn’t all bad or soul-crushing; it allows us to connect and keep in touch with people both near and far, reduces uncertainty and so builds social trust. However, it should be enjoyed in moderation (a level which most of us probably exceed every day). It is easy to get lost inside the fabricated world of social networks, where flawless people lead perfect lives. Just remember that nothing every really beats real-world socialising. You know, like talking to each other.

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