Study Shows Facebook Increases Self Esteem

Greg Tito

PR for Dungeons & Dragons
Sep 29, 2005
12,070
0
0
Study Shows Facebook Increases Self Esteem



A psychologic research paper showed that people who use Facebook generally feel better about themselves.

Even a casual user of Facebook knows that what people put on their profiles isn't always how those people really are. The profile picture is the perfect example as most will spend time making sure that highly visible image shows them off in the best light. What researchers at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York have shown is that fiddling with your profile increases your self-esteem even after you're no longer sitting at a computer. Researchers Amy Gonzales and Jeffrey Hancock will publish their findings in the medical journal Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, but they caution that it doesn't mean Facebook is all that.

"I think that saying that Facebook and the Internet is 'good' or 'bad' is naive and overly simplistic," said Gonzalez. "Facebook and the Internet aren't going anywhere anytime soon. Given that, I want to know what that means for human behavior and what implications it may have for human psychology. This is just one small study trying to get at those effects."

The study separated 63 students into three groups as they sat in front of computers. One group looked at a dead black monitor screen, another had mirrors facing them, and the third was encouraged to update their profiles on Facebook. A survey completed after the test showed that those who were on Facebook held a distinctly better view of themselves, while the other two groups showed no increase in self-esteem.

"Unlike a mirror, which reminds us of who we really are and may have a negative effect on self-esteem if that image does not match with our ideal, Facebook can show a positive version of ourselves," Hancock said. "We're not saying that it's a deceptive version of self, but it's a positive one."

So what does that really mean? Are we happier when we show the world our best image? Is Facebook the panacea to all society's ills?

Yeah, probably not. But it's interesting to that psychologists are now looking into the effect that internet use has on our psyche. I wonder whether people who watch Zero Punctuation feel better or worse about themselves after...

Source: Fast Company [http://www.fastcompany.com/1733483/this-is-your-brain-on-facebook]

Permalink
 

qbanknight

New member
Apr 15, 2009
669
0
0
Well at the very least it's nice to hear a study about technology that doesn't make you a depressed, homicidal loser for once
 

Danpascooch

Zombie Specialist
Apr 16, 2009
5,231
0
0
OH MY GOD!

My sister was one of the people who made this study! She's a Communications major at Cornell, I have to tell her the study was on the Escapist, she'll be thrilled!

EDIT: I noticed the article doesn't really mention how they tested for anything, basically it went like this. The people in the study wrote short essays that would be reviewed after they were finished, one group was allowed to take a Facebook break while the other wasn't, and the people who stopped to check Facebook were able to better handle the reviewers tearing into them and attacking their work with non-constructive criticism after. That may not be exactly how it went, for one thing I'm not sure if they actually wrote the essay there or had a preexisting essay critiqued, but that's the basic gist of the study.
 

Kegsen

New member
Feb 20, 2011
57
0
0
So basically the conclusion is "our small white Facebook-lies makes us feel good"?
 

kurupt87

Fuhuhzucking hellcocks I'm good
Mar 17, 2010
1,438
0
0
Someone who has been doing something feels better than someone who's been sitting and doing sweet F A? Nuuuuuuuuuuuuuuhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, no waaaAAaiiii.
 

Calcium

New member
Dec 30, 2010
529
0
0
It's not very surprising that you feel more positive and more likely to have more self-esteem doing something which isn't as dull and boring as looking at a mirror or a blank screen. I can believe the reasoning behind the claim but I can't take the proof seriously.
 

lacktheknack

Je suis joined jewels.
Jan 19, 2009
19,316
0
0
Positive image of oneself?! Clearly, I've added all the wrong people. Everyone is constantly cursing everyone else out and posting photos of them being drunk twats and laughing at it.
 

Danpascooch

Zombie Specialist
Apr 16, 2009
5,231
0
0
Calcium said:
It's not very surprising that you feel more positive and more likely to have more elf-esteem doing something which isn't as dull and boring as lookig at a mirror or a blank screen. I can believe the reasoning behind the claim but I can't take the proof seriously.
There was more to it then that, basically they wrote essays and one group took a break to check Facebook, after they were finished the people doing the study basically told them their essays sucked ass, and the people who took the Facebook break took the criticism much better.
 

Cpt_Oblivious

Not Dead Yet
Jan 7, 2009
6,933
0
0
I can understand that. It feels nice if you log in and have a few people who care about you enough to post or comment. Then again, I've found regular exercise is even better at increasing self esteem so you can still avoid Facebook if you want.
 

Danpascooch

Zombie Specialist
Apr 16, 2009
5,231
0
0
Cpt_Oblivious said:
I can understand that. It feels nice if you log in and have a few people who care about you enough to post or comment. Then again, I've found regular exercise is even better at increasing self esteem so you can still avoid Facebook if you want.
I'm sure Facebook comes with its share of negative effects too, it's just interesting to see it has a significant effect on self esteem.
 

Calcium

New member
Dec 30, 2010
529
0
0
danpascooch said:
Calcium said:
It's not very surprising that you feel more positive and more likely to have more elf-esteem doing something which isn't as dull and boring as lookig at a mirror or a blank screen. I can believe the reasoning behind the claim but I can't take the proof seriously.
There was more to it then that, basically they wrote essays and one group took a break to check Facebook, after they were finished the people doing the study basically told them their essays sucked ass, and the people who took the Facebook break took the criticism much better.
I don't think that makes it any more believeable. What if the group had taken a break to read, or play games, or do exercise (instead of networking)? All I'm saying is I believe the link is doing something that engages you raises self esteem.

It would be interesting though to see how the social networkers compared with groups who played games, read, exercised etc.
 

Danpascooch

Zombie Specialist
Apr 16, 2009
5,231
0
0
Calcium said:
danpascooch said:
Calcium said:
It's not very surprising that you feel more positive and more likely to have more elf-esteem doing something which isn't as dull and boring as lookig at a mirror or a blank screen. I can believe the reasoning behind the claim but I can't take the proof seriously.
There was more to it then that, basically they wrote essays and one group took a break to check Facebook, after they were finished the people doing the study basically told them their essays sucked ass, and the people who took the Facebook break took the criticism much better.
I don't think that makes it anymore believeable. What if the group had taken a break to read, or play games, or do exercise? All I'm saying is I believe the link is doing something that engages you raises self esteem.

It would be interesting though to see how the social networkers compared with groups who played games, read, exercised etc.
Again, all I know about the study is about 90 seconds of hearing about it from my sister, I assume there was at least one control group.
 

messy

New member
Dec 3, 2008
2,057
0
0
Kegsen said:
So basically the conclusion is "our small white Facebook-lies makes us feel good"?
Or our small white facbook-likes/ make other people feel good. Which makes sense it either shows that people approve of our actions, most people like to feel accepted, and it also shows solidarity when things are going wrong. It gives people somewhere to let of steam and to show that there are others in the same situation as them.
 

cairocat

New member
Oct 9, 2009
572
0
0
I think just about everything makes you feel better about yourself than a dead black monitor. I mean, watching Schindler's List would at least let me start thinking about story and plot concepts and probably make me feel better about learning and understanding something compared to a black screen.
 

Tharwen

Ep. VI: Return of the turret
May 7, 2009
9,145
0
0
I think it would have been better if they'd done something very self-oriented as an alternative to Facebook. That way, it would have been testing whether Facebook improves your self-esteem to a greater degree than other forms of self-analysis.

As for what that alternative activity could be... um... possibly presenting a short speech without feedback, or something like that? Maybe just writing about yourself on a document that no-one else would read?

Also, if they went on Facebook to change their profiles, they would also have gone on Facebook to look at their friends' updates. I think I'll be filing this under Correlation, not Causation.
 

Kegsen

New member
Feb 20, 2011
57
0
0
messy said:
Kegsen said:
So basically the conclusion is "our small white Facebook-lies makes us feel good"?
Or our small white facbook-likes/ make other people feel good. Which makes sense it either shows that people approve of our actions, most people like to feel accepted, and it also shows solidarity when things are going wrong. It gives people somewhere to let of steam and to show that there are others in the same situation as them.
See your point, and I don`t want to come across as a bit of a troll here. But, there`s a reason why I`m no longer on FB. Well, actually a plentitude of reasons but the highest rated for me deactivating my account (3 months "sober" and no withdrawal-symptoms as of yet) are:

1) Seeing status-updates that completely contradicts what was said in the mail just hours earlier.
2) Seeing how the wall of someone who killed him/herself getting flooded with "Oh noes, I`ll miss you. Love you. Hope you now have found peace" etc etc messages from the very same people that for some weird reason don`t want to talk about it in RL. (yes, that place where just extending your thumb somehow gets met with a strange look if someone says something slightly interesting) Yes, it`s a valve to put of steam - in a manner of speaking - but whole concept of "Facebook solidarity" is as far as I`m concerned...just the biggest toiletwall in the history of civilised society. We "like" and don`t utter another word about it. We`ve done our share, so stop bothering us.
3) If it`s really important to gain so-called acceptance from people you`ve not seen / spoken to / cared about for the last 20 years...(and probably for adequate reasons) then you better take a long hard look in the mirror and ask yourself who in the name of shaven hamsters you really are.

Then again, it could just be me who got sick of the whole FB-thing where what you had for dinner some random day is considered such a life-defining moment that it should be shared with your 500 friends. Most of whom would reply with a migthy "HUH??" if you should ever call them up and say hi.
 

messy

New member
Dec 3, 2008
2,057
0
0
Kegsen said:
messy said:
Kegsen said:
So basically the conclusion is "our small white Facebook-lies makes us feel good"?
Or our small white facbook-likes/ make other people feel good. Which makes sense it either shows that people approve of our actions, most people like to feel accepted, and it also shows solidarity when things are going wrong. It gives people somewhere to let of steam and to show that there are others in the same situation as them.
See your point, and I don`t want to come across as a bit of a troll here. But, there`s a reason why I`m no longer on FB. Well, actually a plentitude of reasons but the highest rated for me deactivating my account (3 months "sober" and no withdrawal-symptoms as of yet) are:

1) Seeing status-updates that completely contradicts what was said in the mail just hours earlier.
2) Seeing how the wall of someone who killed him/herself getting flooded with "Oh noes, I`ll miss you. Love you. Hope you now have found peace" etc etc messages from the very same people that for some weird reason don`t want to talk about it in RL. (yes, that place where just extending your thumb somehow gets met with a strange look if someone says something slightly interesting) Yes, it`s a valve to put of steam - in a manner of speaking - but whole concept of "Facebook solidarity" is as far as I`m concerned...just the biggest toiletwall in the history of civilised society. We "like" and don`t utter another word about it. We`ve done our share, so stop bothering us.
3) If it`s really important to gain so-called acceptance from people you`ve not seen / spoken to / cared about for the last 20 years...(and probably for adequate reasons) then you better take a long hard look in the mirror and ask yourself who in the name of shaven hamsters you really are.

Then again, it could just be me who got sick of the whole FB-thing where what you had for dinner some random day is considered such a life-defining moment that it should be shared with your 500 friends. Most of whom would reply with a migthy "HUH??" if you should ever call them up and say hi.
The thing is though that being social creatures (and humans are) then it doesn't really matter who its with to some extent. This is more true of people already of low self esteem, some people grow to great lengths to feel "accepted." Doing it over FB is just another way of doing it. And arguably a better then people who drink loads to have "friends" or have casual sex to feel "wanted." Nothing intrinsically wrong with either of the activities just the reasons behind them might not be too healthy.

In regards to feeling accepted by strangers, isn't that why most of us joined the escapist? We saw a good community or website that we wanted to be apart of?

Also I just block people that have annoying statues like you mentioned. My "news feed" is heavily filtered to the people who post clever, funny or relevant stuff.
 

Raven's Nest

Elite Member
Feb 19, 2009
2,955
0
41
Yes but for every increase in self esteem counts for nothing when with every inane fb status, the world's hope for humanity decreases by two points...

Facebook is a pestilence upon intelligent society. It will be our undoing mark my words...