A new study suggests that reducing the amount of time spent on Facebook every day will make people smoke less, participate more in sports, and be happier.
The study was published in Computers in Human Behavior by researchers at Ruhr University in Bochum, Germany
The research team recruited 286 people to participate in the study, and they spent at least 25 minutes a day on Facebook on average. The researchers divided the subjects into two groups: 146 people in the control group used Facebook as usual.
Another 140 people reduced their Facebook use time by 20 minutes per day (about one-third of the average daily use time) in two weeks.
All participants were tested before the study began, one week after the study began, at the end of the study, and one and three months after the study was completed. Using an online questionnaire, the research team investigated how they use Facebook, their well-being, and their lifestyle.
The results showed that those participants who reduced Facebook use time spent less time on the Facebook platform, both actively and passively, after the study was over.
This is important because passiveness often causes people to compare themselves to others, which causes jealousy and reduces mental health.
In addition, compared to the control group, those who reduced Facebook use less smoked, were more active in physical activity, and showed fewer symptoms of depression.
The researchers said that after the two-week experiment, the life satisfaction of the subjects who reduced Facebook use time increased, and these effects (increased happiness and healthy lifestyle) continued until the last inspection three months after the experiment. .
Researchers don't think it's necessary to abandon the platform altogether. Just reducing the time spent on Facebook every day is enough to prevent addictive behavior, increase happiness and lead to a healthier lifestyle.
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