If you’re like most people, your phone is the first thing you look at when you wake up and the last thing before bed. Your social media habit may seem innocent, but all those hours spent scrolling with your eyes glued to the screen is actually messing with your brain.
Take a look at the 5 most shocking ways social media use is effecting our brains.
5. It makes you eat more.
If you’re social media feeds are drowning in ‘food porn,’ it might be subconsciously making you more hungry. Researchers have discovered that viewing pictures of delicious foods activates the brain’s reward center and caused the viewer to overeat. Another study in the journal Obesity found that even seeing food images can trigger hunger no matter if you just ate or not.
4. It weakens your ability to think independently.
According to a study done by HP Labs, social networks like Facebook or Instagram make people more open to peer pressure. The ‘like’ buttons, which are really just a ranking system, show which things are more popular to the masses. In the study, the subjects were more likely to change their minds about liking one thing over the other if the person saw what got more likes.
3. It makes you spend more money.
Have you noticed your spending habits have gotten a little out of control lately? It may correspond to your social media use, as heavy social media use was linked to lower self-control. According to Keith Wilcox, a professor at Columbia University, “Ultimately, the way you counteract this is by raising your self-awareness. It’s not about don’t spend time on Facebook, but just be aware of what it might be doing to you.” If you find yourself spending more than you like, realize that your social media use could be weakening your self-control.
2. It causes memory problems.
Browsing social media feeds can lead to and overload of stimulation and information, which makes it harder for your brain to file something important in your memory. Even typical sessions of social media use has been shown overload the brain. According to a study done by Stanford University, not only does the information overload impair memory, but it also makes it harder for people to pay attention and switch between tasks.
1. It messes with your self-esteem.
Despite allowing people to connect and interact no matter where you are in the world, social media has been shown to make you feel more lonely, jealous, and sad. Constantly being shown and reminded of other people’s achievements and vacations trigger these strong negative emotions. Hanna Krasnova, a researcher at Humboldt University in Berlin, explains “We were surprised by how many people have a negative experience from Facebook with envy leaving them feeling lonely, frustrated or angry.”
Were you aware how negatively social media was effecting your mental health? Share with us in the comments below.
[Featured image credit: dribbble.com]