Scientists have determined who is most at risk from social media

Researchers from Canada have concluded that active use of social media can intensify symptoms of mental disorders, such as delusional ideas and distorted self-perception.

As reported by BAKU.WS, the research results are published in the journal BMC Psychiatry.

Social media has long become part of everyday life, but new research has shown that for people with mental disorders, they can intensify and reinforce distorted perceptions of themselves and the world around them.

After analyzing 155 scientific articles published from 2004 to 2022, scientists proposed a new concept - "social media delusion amplification".

It was found that social networks have the greatest impact on people with narcissistic personality disorder, body dysmorphic disorder (distorted perception of one's body), eating disorders, as well as psychotic disorders such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.

For example, people with narcissism more often post selfies and focus on the number of likes and followers to confirm their own importance. For those suffering from body dysmorphic disorder, social media intensifies constant comparison of their appearance with others, provoking negative thoughts about their body.

In addition, researchers found that for people with schizophrenia, social media can contribute to the development of delusional ideas - for example, paranoia about surveillance or the conviction that their thoughts are being broadcast online. In the case of erotomania (the belief that a person is the object of a celebrity's love), the ability to follow stars on social media creates the illusion of a personal relationship, which intensifies obsessive behavior.

"Social media creates an environment in which delusional ideas are more easily formed and reinforced, as users are deprived of effective reality-checking mechanisms," noted one of the study's authors, Professor Bernard Crespi.

Although there is no direct evidence yet that social media causes mental disorders, scientists emphasize that the connection between their use and worsening symptoms is obvious. In the future, researchers plan to study the impact of various platforms on mental health and find out whether limiting time on social media can reduce manifestations of anxiety and delusions.