Facebook May Be Creating Some Sad Faces
CHICAGO (CBS) -- It's hard to find anyone these days who isn't social-networking. Nearly 800 million people worldwide use sites like Facebook to hook up with old friends and make new ones.
But is there a downside? As CBS 2's Susan Carlson reports, two new studies show all that connecting may come at a cost.
Laura Jarrett says she logs on to Face book four or five time daily, and it can make her depressed.
"It seems like my friends' posts are a lot happier than mine," she says. "Most of them are still married. I'm not, and, that kind of makes me a little bit jealous."
Researchers say Jarrett is not alone. Feeling bad when you see people with things you don't have is called "social comparison." Joanne Davila, a Stony Brook University psychology professor, has studied it in teens.
Davila says younger people seem to be the most at risk. Also, people who dwell on things.
Another study by Stanford University seems to suggest that women may be more susceptible to social comparisons on Facebook. CBS 2 solicited viewers' thoughts on the studies, and dozens responded.
"I was planning to go to my 20 year high school reunion last year, but after reading how successful my classmates are, I decided not to go. It put me in bad funk," Rob wrote.
Alyson wrote about her friend, a depressed new mom, who believed "everyone else's kids sleep" or "so-and-so's daughter is already walking."
But not everyone gets down hearing about their friends' good news. In fact, social networkers at the Sip Coffee Shop in West Town seemed to have the opposite reaction.
"I'm usually excited for people when positive things happen," Elizabeth Oppriecht said.
Ben Syverson offered this observation: "Everyone on line amps up their achievements a little bit."
Researchers say he's right. Don't believe everything you read.
"Step away from the interactions and get some perspective on them," Davila, the researcher, said.
Jarrett, for her part, is getting better at that.
"I have to remind myself, just stay focused and remind myself that my life isn't so bad," she said. "I have a really wonderful son."
Other potential pitfalls on social networks can result from someone "un-friending" or "blocking" you. Some experts even warn that the sites prolong heartbreak after a relationship ends. They say checking on the "status" or "updates" from an ex makes it more difficult to get over someone.
