TheJakartaPost

Please Update your browser

Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.

Jakarta Post

Taking a break from Facebook can reduce stress, study finds

News Desk (The Jakarta Post)
-
Sun, April 22, 2018

Share This Article

Change Size

Taking a break from Facebook can reduce stress, study finds University of Queensland researchers discovered that by taking a short five-day break from Facebook, a person’s cortisol levels could be reduced significantly. (Shutterstock.com/Bloomua)

A study has shown that giving up Facebook can reduce the stress chemicals present in a person’s body.

University of Queensland researchers discovered that by taking a short five-day break from Facebook, a person’s cortisol levels could be reduced significantly. Cortisol is a hormone that is related to stress and is commonly found in a person's saliva. 

“The typical Facebook user may occasionally find the large amount of social information available taxing, and Facebook vacations could ameliorate this stress—at least in the short term,” the researchers wrote in their report

Read also: Five signs you are way too stressed

However, it’s not as simple as saying that "Facebook makes you feel stressed and bad". At the end of the five-day experiment, most of the 138 volunteers that took part reported a drop in well-being and were actually looking forward to going back to Facebook.  

“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,” psychologist Eric Vanman from the University of Queensland concluded in a statement. (ely/kes)

{

Your Opinion Counts

Your thoughts matter - share your experiences, suggestions, and any issues you've encountered on The Jakarta Post. We're here to listen.

Enter at least 30 characters
0 / 30

Thank You

Thank you for sharing your thoughts. We appreciate your feedback.