Does Social Media and Happiness Go Together? The Truth You Need to Know

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), mental well-being is a state reached when “every individual realizes his or her own potential, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to her or his community”

A great amount of literature has been researched related to the link between social media and well-being. Time spent on social media affects life satisfaction, meaning, and healthy relationships.

1. The Illusion of Perfect Lives

We scroll for happiness, but often end up feeling worse.

The grass is greener on the other side.

People’s outsides cannot be compared to people’s insides. People curate their social media versions of their lives. For instance, a couple who appear happy on social media suddenly announces their breakup. On social media one doesn’t know what goes behind closed doors.

We see people buying expensive clothes, cars, spending vacations in different countries and wonder “Why is my life not like theirs?”. This comparison leads low confidence and low self-esteem.

People start feeling inadequate about their own lives. They are in a constant race to get more likes, comments and validation so that they can feel happy. The day they get fewer likes, they end up being frustrated.

2. Social Comparison and Self-Doubt

“I want to be better than you is a problem.”

Since time immemorial, human beings have always compared themselves. The irony is that social media adds to this habit of comparing and replaces real-life connections. The fact is there is always someone who has more or is good at making it look like to have more.

People are on great vacations, have a great job, has an amazing house, and end up having the other person as a standard. They become so concerned about what other people are saying and doing on social media. They continuously think in the social sense and are unable to look inside to see ‘who we are’. We end up losing the intuitive grasp of who we are. Comparing yourself is not self-reflective.

Key Takeaways:-

• Become aware of what you consume.
• Avoid using the phone immediately after waking up.
• Turn off the unnecessary notifications.
• Practice breathing exercises for inner reflection.
• Remember you are unique. There is enough work to be done upon yourself.
• Also remember that by seeing others succeed, you don’t fall.
• Resort to digital detox.

3. Impact on Mental Health

Social media pressures have a detrimental impact on the mental well-being of individuals. The algorithmic platforms are designed to hook people. It contributes to loneliness and depression.

Moreover, the blue light from the screen interferes with the body’s natural sleep cycle.

It contributes to fatigue, lower concentration, and low energy levels during the day. When individuals replace physical activity with scrolling, it leads to weight gain, poor posture, and neck pain.

They withdraw from family and friends, and this results in noticeable mood swings and irritability.

People overthink, and they have the fear of missing out (FOMO).

4. Example: Finland (Social media and happiness)

Finland has topped the world happiness index for the past seven years. Programmes like The National Suicide Prevention Project (1986–1996) and The National Depression Programme (1994–1998) have provided adequate strategies for mental health.  Due to safety concerns, authorities advise against smartphone access for children under 13 and are considering a social media ban for those under 15, reported by AA. The nation believes that social media alone doesn’t decide happiness.

There is a research paper on “Does social media use make us happy? A meta-analysis on social media and positive well-being outcomes”(2024)  by Laura Marciano , Jeffrey Lin , Taisuke Sato , Sundas Saboor , and Kasisomayajula Viswanath.  

In the study they have investigated how social media use, time spent on social media, and different activities on social media, are related to hedonic (e.g., life satisfaction), eudaimonic (e.g., meaning), and social (e.g., having healthy relationships) well-being. By doing so, we aim to show if and how social media use is related to positive well-being beyond the absence of ill-being. They have stated that social media is not the only cause of unhappiness.

It showed how adolescents’ social media use (both active and passive) is mainly related to satisfying their needs of identity expression (e.g., the need to discover one’s self), information seeking or sharing, escapism, and entertainment (e.g., search for diversion and relaxation).

However, social media comparison often makes people feel worse about themselves. It highlighted a unique fact that if comparison is taken as a source of inspiration, then social comparison can lead to positive envy and promote well-being.

A research paper on “The Motivations for and Well-Being Implications of Social Media Use at Work among Millennials and Members of Former Generations” (2021) by Reetta Oksa, Tiina Saari, Markus Kaakinen, Atte Oksanen,revealed, however, that millennials were not only more active social media users for work, but they also experienced higher technostress and burnout than members of former generations.

Social media use motivations were associated with both higher and lower technostress and burnout depending on motivation, indicating that social media use can have both positive and negative effects. Overall, our findings suggest that employees tend to utilise social media more if their needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness are fulfilled.

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