The Pursuit of Happiness
Can Social Media Play a Role?
In 2014, 339 people diligently filled out surveys to document how they felt after using social media in the evening. The results showed that depending on how you use the platforms, social media could boost your sense of companionship and your life satisfaction.
This experiment was conducted by three researchers from Michigan State University: Hyun Jung Oh, Elif Ozkaya, and Robert LaRose. Despite articles circulating with headlines like "Social Media Causes Anxiety and Depression," or "Instagram Poisoning Teens' Self Image," some previous studies have found that social networking sites can instead have a positive impact, like reducing loneliness. As a result, the Michigan State researchers’ goals were twofold: to explore how social networking could positively impact people and clarify why previous research has been so conflicting.
How Can Social Media Positively Affect My Happiness?
Through the results of their daily surveys, Oh, Ozkaya, and LaRose discovered that people were in a better mood after social media if they experienced a greater number of supportive interactions online. Supportive interactions could take many forms like giving advice, showing empathy, validating thoughts, inviting someone to a group or group plan, and sharing information. Participants who were in a better mood after their social media session tended to record a greater sense of companionship, which was in turn linked to greater life satisfaction.
Basically, by using social media as a tool to give and receive support, social networking sites could help us feel happier with our lives.
Talk about a light bulb moment!
Why Is Research On Social Media So Conflicting?
Previous studies often assessed the impact of social media by looking at shallow measures—things like the number of hours spent online and the frequency of use. Oh, Ozkaya, and LaRose had a hunch that these previous efforts were contradictory because they didn’t capture what people are actually doing online, which they believed changed the outcome.
The researchers tested this hypothesis by asking the survey respondents how many friends they have on social media, how many of those are close friends, how frequently they use social media, and how long they’ve been using it. As expected, these variables didn’t really influence their post-social media mood. Those who used social networking sites frequently were not in a significantly different mood than those who seldom used it.
These findings suggest that Oh, Ozkaya, and LaRose were correct; general measures of social media likely overlook how different activities can lead to different outcomes. Studying people’s actions will be more insightful.
This makes sense when you think about it. Social media offers a range of experiences. You can log on to play games for hours or edit pictures late into the night without ever interacting with another person. Or, you can use it to catch up with family or meet people who are just as obsessed with mountain biking as you are.
Could Social Media Actually... Promote Happiness?
A sense of companionship was a significant predictor of life satisfaction in the 2014 study, which confirms what experts have known for a while: Relationships (both romantic and otherwise) have one of the biggest influences on our happiness.
If you’re using social media to develop or maintain strong ties with others, it can serve as a tool to promote your life satisfaction and happiness. However, social media is not without problems. They make connecting with people easier, true, but not all the elements are conducive to feeling connected. What’s more, the platforms can be a source of anxiety for some and contribute to unhealthy smartphone use for others. If social media is taking away from your happiness more than it’s adding, you may need to reconsider your relationship with it.
On average, social media accounts for one out of every six minutes people spend online. It’s important to understand how this is impacting us. By using the platforms to support others and to receive support in return, you just might boost your life satisfaction, and by extension, your happiness.
These findings are correlational, meaning that more research is needed. Nevertheless, it adds to the body of evidence suggesting that just like any tool, how you use social media is in your hands and so is the end impact. There’s a saying that goes, “the dose makes the poison,” but with social media, it’s all in how you use it.
Study Objective & Methods
How Does Online Social Networking Enhance Life Satisfaction? The Relationships Among Online Supportive Interaction, Affect, Perceived Social Support, Sense of Community, and Life Satisfaction
Hyun Jung Oh, PhD; Elif Ozkaya, MA; Robert LaRose, PhD
Published in Computers in Human Behaviour, 2014.
Oh, Ozkaya, & LaRose explored how social networking sites result in positive psychological outcomes and why previous research on the impact of social media has been contradictory. Participants were recruited using a snowball sampling technique in which undergraduate students in a media research course were asked to recruit their friends and family. These participants were asked to fill out a questionnaire after their first use of social media in the evening over five days to document how they felt.
Social Media and Well-Being Training
This research (and all our social media and well-being articles) have laid the foundation for our 3-course program designed for anyone wanting to approach social media and communications in a way that protects well-being and puts people first. Learn more here.
