A study conducted with 175 students at Edinburgh Napier University found that a significant number of Facebook users suffers from Facebook-related anxiety. The more “friends” a Facebook user has, the higher the stress and anxiety experienced.
What Is Facebook Stress Syndrome and How to Dectect It?
If you are experiencing guilt, fear and anxiety when using Facebook, then you could be suffering from Facebook Stress Syndrome. The good news is that you are not alone. Facebook Stress Syndrome is quite common and affects about 10% of all Facebook users.
According to the aforementioned Facebook stress study by the Scottish psychologists, the 88% of participants not feeling anxious when using Facebook had an average of 75 friends; those feeling anxious had an average of 117 friends. Regardless of which group participants fell into, friend requests were an area of concern:
- More than 10% of Facebook users said that the social network made them feel “anxious,”
- 12% disliked friend requests,
- 32% had feelings of “guilt and discomfort” about rejecting friend requests,
- 63% delayed responding to friend requests.
What Causes Facebook Stress Syndrome?
Dr. Kathy Charles who led the study compares using Facebook to gambling: "Like gambling, Facebook keeps users in a neurotic limbo, not knowing whether they should hang on in there just in case they miss out on something good." And this “neurotic limbo” is an unproductive period of waiting for something to happen that leads to anxiety and stress.
Dr. Charles explains the fact that more friends increase stress levels by comparing it with the performance pressure and self-display compulsion that celebrities go through. Everything has to be an event that needs broadcasting to one’s “fans.” She explains: “"You are almost a mini celebrity and the bigger the audience the more pressure you feel to produce something about yourself."
How to Avoid Facebook Stress Syndrome
With more than 500 million users worldwide, Facebook is a force to reckon with. Plus, it is a quick and effective way to stay in touch with friends and family. It is important, however, to monitor one’s behavior on Facebook and if feelings of fear, stress and anxiety prevail, one should consider taking a step back and logging out for a while.
It also needs to be mentioned that with 175 students, the group of participants in the Facebook stress study was not only small but also not very diverse. In fact, previous studies discovered that Facebook does increase social skills. Surely, surveys with bigger and more diverse sample groups are needed to discover potential risks of Facebook and the way it affects our social competency and personal well-being.
Those who do feel stressed by Facebook may want to try Twitter – here’s how to get started.
Simone Preuss - Simone is a freelance writer, editor and translator who decided to go solo after a successful career in publishing. That was more than ...
Join the Conversation