Stopping Using Facebook Could Make Us Happier

We can have a lot of fun on social networks like Facebook. They bring us many possibilities that, if based on healthy relationships, esteem and mutual respect, are a source of growth and learning.

The problem arises when the content of these social networks does not generate positive behavior in our daily lives. Take, for example, the use of cell phones. People waste a lot of time out of their day updating and viewing friends’ posts or their favorite pages.

We became slaves of our social networks and stopped living the simple things in life, the small miracles of everyday life like breathing, quenching thirst or smelling a rose, as José Luís Sampedro would say.

Try to stop using Facebook

Science confirms that stopping using Facebook would be a positive thing. The way we let social media invade our lives is spoiling its original purpose. We relate to our friends and see how they update their lives and emotions through a screen, while our friends do the same to us. Something that certainly makes us lose the beauty of direct contact.

Most people believe they are not wasting their time living life through screens, apps, browsers and keyboards. In the past, the most common habit was reading a book before going to sleep; today we are viewing social networks.

A study by the Happiness Research Institute suggests that using Facebook is not always positive for our mood.  This survey had the collaboration of 1,000 people, of which 500 stopped using Facebook for a week and 500 continued to use it regularly.

After a week, 88% of people who stopped using Facebook reported they felt good compared to 81% who continued to update their social network. Although this data is not so relevant, if we take into account the percentage of abstinent people who declared themselves satisfied with their lives, we will find that:

• The 20% who haven’t used Facebook for a week said they feel good about their lives.
• The 12% who used Facebook said they felt good about their lives.

The reason for this difference, according to the study, is the envy and frustration of not enjoying life as much, as shown by the edited versions of the lives of others that we see through the screen. That way, if we stay away from social media, we become more enthusiastic, less worried, more determined and less lonely, because we will spend more time with the people around us than looking at a screen.

If it’s private, don’t put it on Facebook

Another problem we develop when using social media is that we forget about our privacy and that of others. When we do not identify certain information, we depersonalize the recipient of the message (we believe that he is a good and trustworthy person).

This fact leads us to use Facebook as a diary or confessional, forgetting that not everything should be publicized. As a result, there is a lot of gossip and misinterpretation.

The conclusion that we draw from these studies and the reality that we live every day is that the use of new technologies and social networks must be done with moderation and common sense. Avoid invading your personal life with the unreal and enjoy more what you can personally enjoy.

Main image by John Holcroft.