Scientists Have Reached Paradoxical Conclusions About Social Media

American researchers from Baylor University have come to an unexpected conclusion: the more time people spend on social media, the more lonely they feel. Their findings are published in the scientific journal Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin (PSPB).

Long-term Study

For nine years, scientists analyzed data from about 7,000 adult residents of the Netherlands to identify the impact of digital habits on emotional well-being.

It was found that both passive social media use (scrolling through feeds without interaction) and active participation (posting and communicating) are associated with increased feelings of loneliness.

Why doesn't social media save us from loneliness?

Experts explain this effect by the fact that online interactions cannot fully replace live communication necessary for psychological comfort.

"Social media provides access to communities, but their active or passive use does not reduce feelings of loneliness, and may even exacerbate it," noted Professor James Roberts, the study's author.

The Vicious Circle of Digital Communication

Scientists also discovered that there is a two-way relationship between loneliness and social media: the lonelier a person feels, the more they retreat into the virtual world, which only intensifies the problem.

What to do?

Researchers emphasize the importance of personal communication for mental health and call for more mindful use of digital technologies. Their findings can help develop recommendations that will allow people to find a balance between virtual and real social life.