In a study in the Journal of Social Psychology exploring the relationship between Facebook and stress, University of Queensland researchers found that although opting out of the social media behemoth lowered levels of the stress hormone cortisol, it also triggered feelings of disillusionment and disconnection.
“While participants in our study showed an improvement in physiological stress by giving up Facebook, they also reported lower feelings of well-being…people said they felt more unsatisfied with their life and were looking forward to resuming their Facebook activity,” says lead researcher Eric Vanman. Call it FOMBP: fear of missing baby pics.
On the whole though, the researchers say a Facebook holiday could provide short-term relief from the sheer volume of information bombarding your synapses, giving your mental health a boost. Sorry Zuck.
