Facebook comments could improve one’s well-being and make individuals feel better about themselves
Researchers recently said that comments on Facebook could improve one’s well-being and make individuals feel better about themselves. Moreover, they have compared the feeling of satisfaction in life given by a personalized comment on Facebook with the joy of getting married or having a baby.
The scientists at Carnegie Mellon University mentioned that if you enjoy spending time on Facebook and feel that the activity brings you satisfaction it could be because the app’s effects are similar to those of a significant life event.
The study proved that just reading political posts on Facebook or analyzing friend’s notes about their activities brings little satisfaction. Although users highly appreciate these activities, they pay no significant contributions to individual’s well-being.
A professor at Human-Computer Interaction Institute, Robert Kraut, along with a research scientist, Moira Burke, conducted the study. The findings showed that personalized interactions on Facebook like posting something on somebody’s wall, receiving comments or commenting on someone’s posts are an essential method of social engagement.
The authors noticed that while the socialization involves people who they care about, close friends, the online communication brings many benefits.
The interactions don’t have to be complicated; just a several words comment can remind the user of the significant relationships in their lives. It’s important that a close friend has taken few minutes from his time to personalize a comment.
These findings seem to run counter to all of the other research that stated time spend on Facebook, and social media are linked to a higher probability of depression and loneliness.
Kraut now wants to establish if social media is making people unhappy or if individuals utilizing the social media are unhappy.
The research recruited with Facebook ads 1,910 users from 91 countries. Experts did not examine the substance of the user’s communications. The app users allowed the researchers to differentiate between varieties of action like reading, posting, likes, and comments.
Moreover, they had to see if the interactions were with acquaintances or close friends. Kraut decided that when approaching more personal subjects with friends on Facebook, people tend to feel better which is similar to face-to-face interactions.
Furthermore, it seems to be true to sad individuals spend more time on social media but just because they know that the activity will make them feel better.
Image source: Pixabay
Deborah Campbell
