How to Get Happy by Using Facebook

So there’s been a lot of coverage about how Facebook is addictive, makes us depressed, gives us eating disorders, makes us antisocial, and generally turns us in to self-hating losers.

But with 700 billion minutes worldwide per month spent on Facebook alone, people must be getting something out of it! I combed through the lesser-known research to find how to get the most out of Facebook, and use it to enhance your life. So to that end, here are 6 tips on how to use Facebook to make you happy:

Tip #1: Participate

Don’t hang out on Facebook just to look at your News Feed or other people’s profiles. Instead, only go there when you have some news to share.

A 2013 study found that Facebook frequenters who spent time on the site without posting their own content were more likely to feel envious and dissatisfied with their own lives. The biggest culprit of envy?  Your friends’ vacation photos–I guess those obnoxious “beach feet” selfies aren’t good for anyone.

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Tip #2: Share Good News

Everyone knows that people selectively filter their lives when they post. Parties, baby’s first step, anniversaries, and beautiful weekends at that B&B in Sonoma all make the cut. No one posts that creditors are calling, or that they’re hungover on a Tuesday.  

But the effect of posting positive information is that you get positive feedback, which is not only reinforcing, but–according to a 2012 study out of Columbia University–also boosts Facebook users’ self-esteem. So post good news, with the caveat of Tip #3…

Tip #3: Weed Out Those “Friends” You’ve Only Met Once

That self-esteem boost only works if you have strong ties to your Facebook friends. The same study found if your news feed is filled with pictures of people you don’t recognize, much less care about, you won’t feel the benefits. So consider culling those folks on your friend list you don’t even remember meeting.

Tip #4: Know That Happiness is Contagious

This finding comes from the now-infamous social experiment Facebook secretly carried out in January 2012. 

It turns out that Facebook data scientists were paying attention to all the talk about Facebook making people miserable, and they were worried it would lead to people leaving the site. So for a week that January, nearly 700,000 Facebook users’ accounts were manipulated to either reduce the number of positive posts, like “Had a great day with great friends!,”  or negative posts, like “Bumming that my cat is sick,” that appeared in their News Feeds.

The findings, published in the journal PNAS this year, found that when positive posts were omitted from the News Feed, people produced not only fewer positive posts of their own, but also more negative posts. Likewise, when negative posts were suppressed, people followed suit, making fewer negative posts of their own, and more positive posts. The conclusion? Evidence for emotional contagion on a massive scale.

Users and ethicists gave a big “dislike” to the fact that users weren’t informed this was happening (and seriously, with over 900 million users, you’d think Facebook could find enough people who would consent to be in a study!) Facebook later apologized for the clumsy way the experiment was carried out.

Regardless, the study showed that online, happiness is contagious–whether you’re conscious of it or not.  So contribute to your friends happiness by posting good stuff, “liking” generously, and writing positive comments. Karma works online, too.

Tip #5: Use Facebook to Maintain Your Social Capital

In a 2007 study (I know, a million years ago in these days of social media, but the findings are still relevant), researchers found that heavier use of Facebook was associated with three different kinds of social capital.  

Now, to back up, social capital is what you get out of your relationships–the resources you can access through your network of friends, family, and colleagues. The study focused on bridging capital, or your acquaintances and friends of friends, better known as “weak ties;” bonding capital, the close, emotionally supportive friends, better known as “strong ties;” and maintained capital, which is the ability to maintain valuable connections as your life (and geographic location) changes.  

Individuals who used Facebook had greater social capital in all three areas, meaning they were more likely to endorse being able to turn to someone for help with an important decision or a loan, being able to count on someone from a previous town to do them a small favor, and feeling like part of a larger community. Applied to real life, such capital may have implications for finding a job, or feeling supported in a time of stress.

Tip #6: Know that You Can Generally Trust a Facebook Profile

Facebook is fundamentally about keeping in touch with people you know, but the format a profile you create, photos you decide to post, and status updates you write–forces you to curate your own image. You get to create how you want to be seen, and you get to see how others react, in real time, to this image.

However, even with all the posturing and image-making, a 2010 study found that Facebook profiles do reflect people’s actual characteristics and personalities, not idealized fantasies.

Researchers asked to see profiles of college-aged Facebook users, and then asked four of their good friends to fill out a personality questionnaire about them. Then they had each Facebook user fill out an ideal personality profile, directing them to “describe yourself as you ideally would like to be.” Turns out the Facebook profiles more closely matched the friends’ description of the real person, than the users’ idealized description.

The conclusion?  People post their real identity, even in the virtual world. Therefore, you can keep it real–and rest assured that your friends probably are, too.

Bonus: How Many Facebook Friends Should You Have?  

To be able to successfully maintain relationships, as well as to maximize what’s called social attractiveness, according to a 2008 study, the magic number of Facebook friends falls somewhere between 100 and 300. Above 300 friends, your credibility is questioned and doubts are raised about your true popularity and desirability. Gratuitious friending is suspected.

So rest assured that even with all the news about Facebook-induced greed, sloth, envy, and other various idolatries-of-self, know that while Facebook probably isn’t redemptive, at least you can feel good about posting those pictures of your kid’s lemonade stand, or news about your latest promotion.

And one last thing: for the betterment of humanity, just say no to duckface selfies.

REFERENCES

^{Back, M.D., Stopfer, J.M., Vazire, S., Gaddis, S., Schmukle, S.C. et al. (2010).  Facebook profiles reflect actual personality, not self-idealization.  Psychological Science, 21, 372-4.}

^{Ellison, N. B., Steinfield, C. & Lampe, C. (2007), The Benefits of Facebook “Friends:” Social Capital and College Students’ Use of Online Social Network Sites. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 12, 1143–1168.}

^{Kramer, A. D. I., Guillory, J. E., & Hancock, J. T. (2014). Experimental Evidence of Massive-Scale Emotional Contagion through Social Networks. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 111(24), 8788-8790.}

^{ScienceDaily. “Facebook makes users feel envious, dissatisfied: German study reveals social network’s big role in users’ emotional life.” ScienceDaily, 21 January 2013.}

^{Tong, S. T., Van Der Heide, B., Langwell, L. and Walther, J. B. (2008), Too Much of a Good Thing? The Relationship Between Number of Friends and Interpersonal Impressions on Facebook. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 13, 531–549.}

^{Wilcox, K. & Stephen, A.T..  (2012).  Are Close Friends the Enemy? Online Social Networks, Self-Esteem, and Self-Control Journal of Consumer Research,  Columbia Business School Research Paper No. 12-57}

Please note that all content here is strictly for informational purposes only.  This content does not substitute any medical advice, and does not replace any medical judgment or reasoning by your own personal health provider.  Please always seek a licensed physician in your area regarding all health related questions and issues. 

Photo of social media terms, like button, and Facebook on tablet courtesy of Shutterstock.