Be Warned!...Being jealous of Facebook friends 'leads to depression' -Researchers Warns

 Many people are soooo guilty of this crime but here is bad news for them, researchers at the University of Missouri-Columbia have found that the social network can lead to depression, especially amongst those who use Facebook to size other people's lives up against their own.


Millions of us know the feeling: we check into Facebook to see what our friends are doing, only to feel a pang of envy at someone's great new job, another person's happy relationship or our former classmate's big new house. But this seemingly harmless habit doesn't just make us grumpy at that moment: it could be damaging our health.
Their study of 700 students found that the website can be 'a very positive resource' if it is used as a way of chatting to friends, but that it can become seriously troubling if used in 'surveillance' mode. 'If it is used as a way to size up one's own accomplishments against others, it can have a negative effect,' said Professor

Margaret Duffy, one of the professors who co-authored the research. 'If Facebook is used to see how well an acquaintance is doing financially or how happy an old friend is in his relationship - things that cause envy among users - use of the site can lead to feelings of depression.

 'It is important for Facebook users to be aware of these risks so they can avoid this kind of behaviour when using Facebook.' Facebook members were particularly stressed when their friends posted pictures of luxurious holidays, or used the social network to boast about new houses or expensive cars, the study found. However, Professor Duffy said Facebook users could help gird themselves against depression by remembering that many of their 'friends' on the social network are putting a rose-tinted gloss over their lives when they post there.

'Users should be self-aware that positive self-presentation is an important motivation in using social media, so it is to be expected that many users would only post positive things about themselves. This self-awareness, hopefully, can lessen feelings of envy,' she said.
She also noted that the social network could be a 'fun and healthy activity' that has a 'positive effect' on users' well-being if they use it to stay connected with family and old friends.
 

Last year, Facebook faced a storm of protests after the website conducted a secret experiment, filtering out positive content from some people's so-called news feeds – the constant flow of links, videos, pictures and comments by friends.

People who saw less positive content were more likely to post negative content themselves, suggesting that they were unhappy, the study found.
The research was conducted by the University of Cornell and the University of California, but was overshadowed by a storm of controversy after people objected to having their newsfeeds manipulated.

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