Happiness Research Institute published a new study (via Phys.org) suggesting that quitting Facebook would reduce stress levels by 55 percent.
The study's sample group was composed of 1,095 Danish people having an average age of 33. The sample group was then divided into two groups: the first, in their usual routine, continued to use Facebook while the other group entirely stopped their activities in the social media site.
The study then looked into and surveyed the participants' experience a week later after the experiment and see whether which group had increased happiness levels or reduced stress levels. It shows that 88 percent of those who quit Facebook entirely said that they were happy while 81 percent of those who stayed on Facebook said that they also fee happy. On the category of life appreciation, 84 percent of those who quit Facebook said they were able to appreciate their lives, compared to the 75 percent of those who were still using Facebook.
If the category was reversed, meaning instead of looking into happiness, the survey focused on dissatisfaction after the experiment: 12 percent of those who quit Facebook said they were dissatisfied while a higher result of 20 percent were not satisfied among those who continued using Facebook.
As to stress levels, the results were: 55 percent of those who used Facebook regularly said they were stressed while only 41 percent of those who took a break from the social media site said their stress level increased. In other words, stress levels are likely to be reduced when one would quit Facebook.
Happiness Research Institute CEO Meik Wiking, in an interview with The Huffington Post, said that he and the team were shocked with the results. He highlighted that their study, compared to others, had a longer time duration in consideration. Wiking also said that while people tend to post on Facebook great things that happen in our lives, they should also show "a more nuanced view of how their life actually happens."
