Does Facebook Make You Sad?

Some people will always be stuck in keeping up with the Jones’ mode. They continue to compare their lives to that of others and when they can’t keep up they can end up feeling depressed and even suffer self-esteem issues.

With the advent of Facebook it is easier to troll or surf other people’s profiles and by extension their lives to find points to compare with your own life.

When our friends post about luxurious vacations, career and academic triumphs, engagements and weddings, we can sometimes become worried about when great things will happen for us, among other destructive and jealous thoughts.

Don't let your friends' Facebook profiles make you feel bad about yourself.

These feelings of jealousy, combined with the guilt of sometimes resenting our friends and loved ones, can lead to sadness. But can this feeling of sadness be blamed on Facebook?

Great arguments can be advanced for either answer (yes or no) to this question.

Yes

 Facebook is making us sad due to the continued exposure we face to other people’s happiness and accomplishments.

While the people we envy may not be happy on the inside, their photos and status updates etc, project an image of fulfilment and success that may be seen as “rubbing your joy in my face” and be the cause the sadness of others who may not be having such a great time of life.

 Additionally, the addictive nature of Facebook means that some people are out less, experiencing life less, and therefore are not accomplishing as much as they would have if they were out living instead of addicted to Facebook, further compounding their unhappiness.

No

Facebook is not making us sad. It is our natural inclination to compare ourselves to others and become dismayed at the sight of other people’s happiness.

 There is a word (Schadenfreude) which talks about us rejoicing in others’ misfortunes. Naturally, some people love knowing that they are superior to others and are unhappy (with or without Facebook) at the sight of others possibly achieving greater personal and professional happiness than them.

One could argue that if we would get up and start experiencing our own lives, planning and achieving our own goals, we would have less time to be comparing ourselves to others whether we see their lives on Facebook or otherwise.

To stop the sadness, the hard but simple task is to stop comparing yourself to others. Find what your goals are and take the steps to achieve them. Often times we need to realise that the people we envy for whatever reason are often coveting us.