Humans are social animals. The companionship offered by others greatly impacts our mental health and inner happiness. We thrive on forming relationships, making new connections, and seeking comfort in others when feeling low.
In-person contact with others helps wake hormones that control stress levels, making you happier, healthier, and more positive. But platforms like Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Twitter, and Threads are changing the narrative of how we cultivate our social interactions.
Ironically, the social platforms designed to bring people closer can leave you feeling more isolated and lonely. So, while these platforms have brought enormous benefits, there’s a dark side to them as well.
Let’s understand how social media is bruising your mental health and how you — or someone close to you — can minimize its negative consequences on your life.
Effect on Mental Health from Increased Social Media Use
These days, most of us have access to a digital device. While these devices are crucial for staying in touch with your loved ones, they also mean quick and easy access to social media around the clock.
And the convenience of accessing these platforms at all times triggers impulse control problems and the need to constantly check for updates, making you a slave to your device. Social media
Plus, when you receive a like, see a new post, or double-tap on something you like, it triggers the release of dopamine to the brain, tricking you into thinking that you’re getting a reward for something.
And the more you’re rewarded, the more time you spend on social media — even when it means your mental health is declining. Let’s look at some major causes that drive the need to use social media all the time:
1. Fear of Missing Out (FOMO) and Social Media Addiction
FOMO is a term that has been around for some time. However, social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram seem to aggravate the feeling that others are having the “time of their lives” while you’re lazing around on your bed.
The idea that others are living better lives impacts your self-esteem, triggers feelings of sadness, and even fuels the need to use more social media, which can lead to becoming a social media addict.
The fear of missing out may also compel you to pick your phone up every few minutes and check for any alert, even if it means missing out on a good night’s sleep or interacting with your family.
If these feelings are becoming a constant in your life, they also affect you mentally. This frequent use of social media can leave you feeling envious, angry, or depressed. If that’s you, it may be time to reprioritize how you spend your time on social media and reassess your online habits.
2. Comparing Yourself
Social media has led to a decline in how we interact with real-world friends. Even when spending time with your friends, you need to pick up your phone, check for an update, and record and post about your time.
These feelings can often lead to you comparing yourself unfavorably with others on social media.
For instance, if you constantly perceive a negative image of your body, have low self-esteem, think you’re not doing enough, or develop unhealthy eating and sleeping patterns, you might impact your mental health adversely — and permanently if you don’t care for yourself.
3. Using Social Media as a “Mask”
Whenever we’re in a tough social situation and feel awkward, anxious, or lonely, we flip our phones and log on to social media. Interacting with content and people who post that content online feels much better than interacting face to face.
It may foster feelings of loneliness in the long run and make you socially awkward, but it works for the time being to help ease anxiety. You feel “good” for the time being, and that’s what matters.
Also, social media may look like a getaway for you from underlying problems such as boredom, stress, and depression. So the more time you spend on social media, you may be using it to distract yourself from feeling down or just “pass the time.”
However, this leads to a vicious cycle of unhealthy social media use, creating a negative and self-perpetuating impact on your life.
4. Engaging in Odd Behaviors
Social media leaves a lasting pressure to post regular content about yourself for a few likes or respond as quickly as possible to a friend’s post.
Also, every spare moment you get away from work or school is spent on social media. This can distract you from carrying out everyday tasks and leaves no time for self-reflection on what you think, who you are, or act the way you do.
Plus, social media also pushes you to engage in risky behavior to gain likes — that means playing practical and dangerous pranks, cyberbullying others, or using your phone when driving or in other unsafe situations.
Changing Social Media Use Habits
While social media may negatively affect your mental health, that does not mean you’ll have to cut it out to improve your mental health completely. Here’s what to do:
1. Reflect on Your Content Consumption
Be mindful of your social media use, limit your time on different platforms, and self-reflect on what kind of content you consume. This can help curb the mental health effects of social media.
2. Learn the Difference Between Active and Passive
Figure out whether you actively take part on different social media platforms or are you consuming content passively. Ask questions like “Does social media make me feel like I’m lacking something?” and “Does someone else’s life impress me on social media?”
Answering these questions will help you be more mindful of how you interact on social media apps and consume content that might not be good for you.
3. Express Gratitude
It’s crucial to take the time to express gratitude and not be affected by how other people live their lives on social media.
The constant comparison can foster unhappy feelings in yourself, while the other person may not be depicting their “real life” on social media.
