Quitting Facebook for 5 days elicits a noticeable drop in cortisol

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  1. Jessie L Watson profile image62
    Jessie L Watsonposted 6 years ago

    *Cortisol is a very common type of stress hormone released in the body generally following periods of anxiety and depression.

    Article: https://www.inquisitr.com/4850038/quitt … udy-shows/

    Cal Newport, an associate professor of Computer Science at Georgetown University has been trumpeting this phenomenon from the rooftops since 2016. He quotes "we're starting to find that [social media] has actual cognitive consequences - one of them being this pervasive background hum of anxiety. The canary in the coal mine for this issue is actually students on college campuses. If you talk to mental health experts on college campuses, they'll tell you that along with the rise of ubiquitous smartphone/social media use came an explosion of anxiety related disorders".

    I find this issue much similar to the public health issue of alcohol. It is so widely accepted that any collateral damage is simply ignored and will continue to be ignored. The problem of anxiety-related disorders and devices is starting to pick up speed in the mainstream but I fear that whoever accepts the responsibility of carrying this message won't take the time to figure out why young people are so susceptible to this kind of psychic imbalance. The phones and computers aren't doing this to kids, kids are doing this to themselves with phones and computers.

    Sometimes it's more useful to invert the question. Example: Why isn't everyone always on drugs all the time? Similarly, why isn't everyone always on their devices? You might say its because most people have some sort of purpose or other forms of meaning in their lives. Remove those cross-cultural objects of purpose and you get a fuzzy picture of what we're seeing with kids today.

  2. profile image0
    ahorsebackposted 6 years ago

    I deactivated F-B for all the obvious  reasons,  I like my privacy too much ! I will  no longer have my liberties exploited and or sold , by anybody !

    1. Jessie L Watson profile image62
      Jessie L Watsonposted 6 years agoin reply to this

      Yep. There's also that!

      1. profile image0
        ahorsebackposted 6 years agoin reply to this

        I really love it Jesse , Social  Media is in full meltdown ; Zuckerburg lied to them while enriching himself and his own buddies  , What are liberals going to be able to articulate without their Face- Book and ideological "liking "  to guide them ?

        1. Jessie L Watson profile image62
          Jessie L Watsonposted 6 years agoin reply to this

          I don't think its been all that much a secret with Zuckerberg and what Facebook's been up to all these years. How do you think it grew to be as rich as it has? Ads? No.

          Alas, Facebook is dying anyway and its primarily liberal inhabitants along with it. That still leaves Twitter but it's sure to follow suit.

          One big comedy these days. We laugh. We cry. We tweet. We outrage. At the end of the day, we think we did the world some sort of service. Maybe when the dominoes fall we'll all see how wrong we were about how the world works.

  3. psycheskinner profile image78
    psycheskinnerposted 6 years ago

    The study found that people who gave up facebook felt bad.  I would consider that more important than cortisol which increases with both good and bad exctiement (e.g. fun/play, as well as stress/anxiety).

    "...participants appeared to show an improvement in physiological stress by giving up Facebook, but they also reported lower subjective well-being compared to the control group."

    1. Jessie L Watson profile image62
      Jessie L Watsonposted 6 years agoin reply to this

      .."but they also reported lower subjective well-being compared to the control group."

      There's plenty of other research that indicates a larger trend in the other direction.

      Below is a Bibliography/Literature review I'm currently working on for a school research project.


      Article #1
      APA Reference of Article    Andreassen, C.  (2016) et al. The relationship between addictive use of social media and video games and symptoms of psychiatric disorders: A large-scale cross-sectional study. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors. 30, 2, 252-262, Mar. 2016. ISSN: 0893-164X.
      Subjects/Participants used in study    23,533 adults between the age of 16 and 88 with a mean age of 35.8
      Method used    Cross sectional survey focusing on addictive behaviors
      Summary of main findings (2-3 sentences)    The self-report surveys were used to determine the overall level of ADHD, OCD, Anxiety and Depression among the participants. Moderately high correlations were found between social media use and the listed measures. Similar results were found in gaming.
      Article #2
      APA Reference of Article    Baker, Z. G., Krieger, H., & LeRoy, A. S. (2016). Fear of missing out: Relationships with depression, mindfulness, and physical symptoms. Translational Issues In Psychological Science, 2(3), 275-282. doi:10.1037/tps0000075
      Subjects/Participants used in study    386 people between age 16-18 were recruited online from a local university. 80.84% Female 19.16% Male with a mean age of 21.98
      Method used    Online Survey asking about frequency of internet use
      Summary of main findings (2-3 sentences)    The aim of the study was to investigate a rather new social phenomenon called “FoMo” or Fear of Missing Out and its association with depressive symptoms, inattention, and physical symptoms.
      Article #3
      APA Reference of Article    Smahel, D., Brown, B. B., & Blinka, L. (2012). Associations between online friendship and Internet addiction among adolescents and emerging adults. Developmental Psychology, 48(2), 381-388. doi:10.1037/a0027025
      Subjects/Participants used in study    394 respondents between ages 12-26
      Method used    Subjects were asked about their social behavior and activity both online and offline. Subsequent questioning on addictive behavior.
      Summary of main findings (2-3 sentences)    People with larger online social circles are more likely to develop addictive internet behaviors.  Alternative causal explanation: online addiction generates a tendency toward larger online social groups.
      Article #4
      APA Reference of Article    Vogel, E. A., Rose, J. P., Roberts, L. R., & Eckles, K. (2014). Social comparison, social media, and self-esteem. Psychology Of Popular Media Culture, 3(4), 206-222. doi:10.1037/ppm0000047
      Subjects/Participants used in study    145 undergraduates participated in exchange for course credit. Of the 145, 106 were female. Median age of 19
      Method used    Computer program analyzed subjects responses to frequency of online social media use and ratings of self-esteem
      Summary of main findings (2-3 sentences)    The study highlights the overall impact of social media on the fairly well understood concept of “social comparison”. Prolonged use of social media sites negative effects individuals ratings of well-being and self-esteem.
      Article #5
      APA Reference of Article    Nichols, L. A., & Nicki, R. (2004). Development of a Psychometrically Sound Internet Addiction Scale: A Preliminary Step. Psychology Of Addictive Behaviors, 18(4), 381-384. doi:10.1037/0893-164X.18.4.381
      Subjects/Participants used in study    207 volunteer participants.
      Method used    13-item demographic questionnaire – self report instrument based on the DSM IV Substance Dependence Criteria.
      Summary of main findings (2-3 sentences)    The data indicated that 16% of the subjects reported using the internet 6-10 hours or more per week. No significant correlations were found between the reasons of internet use and addiction although there was a reasonably significant correlation between hours spent and addiction.


      Lastly,

      When addicts get clean, their life doesn't improve right away and they still have to deal with the psychophysiological consequences of not using. The same mechanic would apply to this situation.

      More to my original point: I don't find devices and social media inherently toxic (or the lack thereof). I'm more concerned about the rapid growth of anxiety and its contexts. The device issue is just one place to start looking because it's so unmistakably pervasive.

  4. profile image0
    ahorsebackposted 6 years ago

    Could be Jesse ,..... I recently joined Twitter , What I like about it is the support you can get from like minded people  I'm just beginning to realize how many of us there are out there who think alike. Rather than being fed so much B.S. by the majority liberal news media !

    1. Jessie L Watson profile image62
      Jessie L Watsonposted 6 years agoin reply to this

      I couldn't help but notice your bio. Can you elaborate on what you mean by conservatives not being welcome on Hubpages? I have not found this to be the case, personally.

      1. profile image0
        ahorsebackposted 6 years agoin reply to this

        I've been banned three times for apparently offending liberals ,  Each time going through my posts and finding no reason  other than people don't like my stanch independent opinions  .

        1. Jessie L Watson profile image62
          Jessie L Watsonposted 6 years agoin reply to this

          Ah. I have noticed a particular sensitivity among the lot. I have also found that the most disagreeable people here are the most sensitive to behavior that resembles their own.

          Even so, we have to choose our words carefully. I was banned once for something similar, although, after looking back, there were things I could've not said that may have salvaged the conversation. If the goal is to exercise free speech with any degree of dignity or success, then we have to keep our own side of the yard clean - however you would define that for yourself.

          That's not to say that we should always kowtow to the spontaneous subjective interests of the group. I just find it more empowering to keep my act together in the face of opposition.

          1. profile image0
            ahorsebackposted 6 years agoin reply to this

            Yes , the best debaters are the diplomats and there are many  here ,  I have seen absolute haters on the side of the liberals however , with no or little reprimand .  I have also learned that hubpages isn't necessarily the only or the best place to debate politically . Oh well  we'll see how long this lasts .

            They should keep in mind , A debate can be pretty boring without ideological fairness . And very exiting with it . If all they want is liberal "one thought" here however , it's okay by me.

            1. Jessie L Watson profile image62
              Jessie L Watsonposted 6 years agoin reply to this

              Well, I think you're absolutely correct about hubpages not being the best place to debate politics. Some of them are totally worth the time, others not.

              One thing I have yet to iron out is that the most active and popular hubbers tend to regard the entire site as just a place for writing articles and talking about writing articles. But there is this entire other world of forums. Many of which I would say are a bit underutilized. So, when we talk about hupbages not being the best place for political discourse, is it because it was never designed to faciliate that? ....or is it because a very influential minority of hubbers want it that way?

              Lately I've found a good balance of participation. Most days I just browse for a few minutes. Other days I'm inspired by a particular idea or news reel and feel compelled to talk about it.

              On average I only publish about 1-2 articles a month. One-way writing gets old. I thrive on the exchange of ideas. I think the invention of forums like this is quite a remarkable human achievement.  It's also by happenstance that hubpages is designed like an art canvas tailored for someone just like me. I create a living, interactive art, you might say.

              Got off track. Sorry. Case in point.

  5. profile image0
    ahorsebackposted 6 years ago

    I had been on Hubpages for seven or eight years and I agree , Hubpages was a great place for the arts in the early years , There was a really tight little writing community  before they expanded . Now , not so much . It's become far more a homogenised selling , marketing place for stuff like brownie recipes , cooking styles  , shoe styles  , traveling hubs etc........
    Too many wanting to get paid for something !

  6. profile image52
    mamachanteposted 6 years ago

    My significant other and I both deleted Facebook around 2 months ago. It has been such a great thing for us, individually and as a couple. We have so much more time... with our kids, our hobbies, everything. There's no more comparing our lives to others and trying to compete. Goodbye social media!

    1. profile image0
      ahorsebackposted 6 years agoin reply to this

      Here , here !

    2. Jessie L Watson profile image62
      Jessie L Watsonposted 6 years agoin reply to this

      Congrats.

  7. Wesman Todd Shaw profile image75
    Wesman Todd Shawposted 6 years ago

    All 3 of my Facebook accounts are currently in the gulag for failure to conform to far left wing extremist ideology. Well, I'm just not willing or able to conform. I do more crude jokes than anything else. So it's probably others suffering my loss more than me. Laughter is kinda good.

    1. Jessie L Watson profile image62
      Jessie L Watsonposted 6 years agoin reply to this

      Well Facebook is a gulag as far as I'm concerned.

  8. Kathleen Cochran profile image75
    Kathleen Cochranposted 6 years ago

    Facebook doesn't stress me out.  My family and friends are my therapy, support and balance.  I'm lucky in that fact.  But I've restricted my time on HubPages to one visit a week - and my stress reduction has been significant.  It's hard to regulate who you deal with on HP.  And I don't suffer fools all that well.  So I stay away more.  I highly recommend it.  Good luck.

    1. profile image0
      ahorsebackposted 6 years agoin reply to this

      One suggestion  "...It's hard to regulate who you deal with on HP ....." You might start with thinking about those self imposed parameters.
      Is that like controlling the dialog ?

  9. Stacie L profile image87
    Stacie Lposted 6 years ago

    I don't use facebook for socializing...I'm trying to get attention for my many online interests, but I don't think it's helping .

    1. profile image0
      ahorsebackposted 6 years agoin reply to this

      Tried Twitter ?

 
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