Welcome to My World – Does Social Media Change Your Brain?
Hello World! I’ve wondered about whether social media has a lasting effect on us for a while now, but does it affect our brain? Good question. Read on and let me know your thoughts about this.
social media can take up much of your day, if you let it. It may also be affecting your brain…
Surprising Ways Social Media Changes Your Brain
We all know that social media has an effect on our moods. Many people report feeling anxious or sad after visiting social media sites. Most times, we experience these feelings when we perceive our friends’ lifestyles to be better than ours.
Surprisingly, there are those who feel better after social media scrolling. It
Have you ever suffered from, depression?
Do you think social media helps or hurts this?
turns out having your posts and photos liked activates your brain’s reward center, research shows.
The truth is social media has a bigger effect on you brain than just changing your mood. It can actually alter how your brain works. These are some of the surprising ways social media changes your brain.
1. SOCIAL MEDIA REDUCES YOUR ABILITY TO FOCUS.
You might think that using different social media sites at the same time
What is social media doing to your brain?
improves your ability to focus, but it does the opposite to you. Research shows that heavy social media users struggle to focus and switch tasks, because as they overindulge in social media, their brains lose the ability to filter out distractions.
2. SOCIAL MEDIA MAY REDUCE YOUR ABILITY TO THINK FOR YOURSELF.
You’re more susceptible to peer pressure when on a social media site,
Do you have trouble concentrating? Or do others opinions on social media matter too much to you?
according to this study. This means you’ll be more open to other people’s opinions and less likely to think for yourself.
You may want to lay off social media for a while if you always find yourself agreeing with the popular opinion.
3. SOCIAL MEDIA MAY LOWER YOUR SELF-ESTEEM.
In one study, researchers found that one in every three people they
Is something in your life overwhelming you, causing your depression? Can social media be making this worse?
interviewed felt angry, frustrated, or lonely after spending time on Facebook.
Most times, people experience these feelings when they compare themselves socially to their peers. The second cause is lack of comments or likes on a person’s posts.
4. SOCIAL MEDIA MAY AFFECT YOUR BRAIN THE SAME WAY DRUGS DO.
Social media addiction is real. In fact, this study found that heavy internet
Are you more self critical?
users have the symptoms of drug addiction. They showed symptoms such as withdrawal, introversion and cravings.
This means social media can change your brain’s reward pathways the same way that drugs do.
5. SOCIAL MEDIA MAY CAUSE SLEEP DEPRIVATION.
Even though this is not a direct effect on your brain health, we know
Sitting at your computer can be harder on your body & your brain than you think, especially your eyes, & definitely not good at night if you have sleep issues.
that sleep deprivation has a big effect on your mental health.
Social media scrolling before bedtime makes it harder for you to fall asleep because of the blue light that your phone or iPad emits. Blue light inhibits the production of melatonin, which consequently reduces the quality of your sleep. You can boost your melatonin levels to help you sleep better.
6. SOCIAL MEDIA CAN AFFECT YOUR NERVOUS SYSTEM.
Did you know that your reward centers in your brain are activated when
You’ll sleep better & feel better if you turn your phone off more.
your phone vibrates? For this reason, most people start experiencing phantom vibration syndrome (fake vibrations). This condition, which may affect up to 90% of the population, affects both your brain and your nervous system, according to research.
You don’t have to quit social media entirely to protect your brain health. Only heavy social media users experience most of these side effects. Therefore, use it in moderation.
Have you noticed other ways social media affects your brain? Share your experiences in the comments below. I’d love to get your feedback.
Have a great healthy day!!!
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