Two years ago, Elise Hu reported for NPR that a study conducted by researchers at the University of Michigan found that the more frequently young adults used Facebook, the worse they felt. The study, published in the PLOS ONE journal, found that Facebook usage led to declines in both moment-to-moment happiness and overall life satisfaction among college-aged adults.
Researchers tested the variables of happiness and satisfaction in real time on 82 participants, text-messaging them five times per day for two weeks to find out how Facebook use influenced the way they felt. The participants responded to questions about loneliness, anxiety, and general emotional wellbeing. While the study didn’t deeply investigate why Facebook made users sadder and less satisfied, coauthor John Jonides pointed to social comparison as a possibility.