Is SNS Good or Bad to Mental Health?

Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter.

Do you know any of these words?

Most of you probably think it’s obvious that you know them.

Yes, these are the names of popular social networking services, or SNS, that many people use or have used.

SNS is now being used by about half of the world’s population as a tool for communication with other people.

It is such a useful and helpful tool.

You can connect with people from all over the world instantly, see how your distant family and friends are doing, quickly grasp what is happening in the world, and express your opinion on social issues or things you think are important.

You can feel connected to others, and when times are tough, someone’s comment can cheer you up.

If you run a business, you can spread the word about your product at a low cost and in a large number of people.

In this age, SNS cannot be separated from our lives.

However, while they are convenient and entertaining, they also have their downsides.

Recently, problems with our mental health have been mentioned quite often.

Many studies have reported that there is a relationship between the use of SNS and symptoms of anxiety and depression.

When you see images that you think are nice, such as pictures of people having fun on a trip abroad, your friends having a good time, or couples cuddling happily with each other, you feel a sense of inadequacy about yourself.

Even if you know that all those pictures are not their reality and that they are only trying to show the best parts of themselves, you may still feel that you are not good enough, that you are not shining like everyone else, etc.

Consequently, you may feel depressed, lose self-confidence, and become anxious about the future.

You may have often heard about cyber bullying and defamation in the news.

It is also said that a lot of young people, especially teenagers, become dependent on SNS, feeling uncomfortable if they don’t constantly check SNS.

One reason for this is that they are afraid of what their friends are doing without them, or whether they are falling behind the trends, which is also called “Fear Of Missing Out (FOMO)”.

Another reason is that our brains release the happy hormone dopamine when we see a positive response to something we post, such as a “like” and a retweet.

And then, in order to get that feeling of happiness again, you think about it all the time, trying to post frequently.

As a result, you may neglect what you need to do, lose sleep and not be able to concentrate on things, and this can interfere with your daily life.

By using SNS, we can get useful information quickly and our relationships can expand greatly.

However, it is important to understand the negative impacts of using SNS in order to protect yourself from mental health problems.

Let’s take a look at what exactly we need to consider when using SNS.

◎Make/increase time to actually meet with people.

Do you spend more time on SNS than you do actually meeting with someone?

Due to COVID-19, it has been difficult to meet with people for a period of time, but now that the Infectious Disease Control Law has changed, we can meet with people again without worrying as much about it as before.

We can gather much more information from meeting people in person than we can from interacting with them online.

For example, we can get a more accurate sense of what the other person is trying to say through non-verbal communication, such as posture, hand gestures, subtle facial expressions, etc.

This makes communication easier and leads to a more trusting relationship with each other.

Furthermore, physical contact, such as shaking hands and hugging, stimulates the secretion of oxytocin, an affection hormone that deepens the bond between people.

Oxytocin is also a hormone that reduces anxiety and stress.

Why not make a conscious effort to spend time actually meeting with your important people so that you can deepen that relationship and feel the gratitude of having a strong bonding relationship and the pleasure that comes with it.

◎ Do not compare yourself to others.

You see someone else’s “shining” post and you feel remarkably that you are lacking.

Then, you fall into the depths of thinking that you are not good enough.

The act of comparing yourself to others is natural, but if it makes you despise yourself, stop that pointless act.

We are all different.

We cannot compare.

That’s why it’s pointless.

If you feel inadequate, try to find out what that is.

If you sigh when you see posts of people having fun with their friends, maybe you want a deeper relationship.

If you feel jealousy when you see a picture of someone eating a gorgeous meal, then you are probably unhappy with your current financial situation.

Instead of continually comparing yourself to someone else’s post and feeling depressed, it would be better to think about what you can do in order to fill that lack of contentment, I think.

Then you can actually behave and get out of yourself feeling inadequate.

◎Note the quality of sleep.

The quality of sleep is deeply related not only to physical health but also to mental health.

It is very common for people to spend hours browsing on their phones before going to bed and find themselves already up at such a late hour.

Since SNS displays a person’s preferences and interests tied to his or her past history, many people endlessly check it and find it difficult to stop.

But make sure you have time to sleep.

Continuing to behave in such a way that you are so interested in SNS that you end up looking at them until late, or getting up in the middle of the night to check them, can lead to insomnia.

It is the condition that you cannot sleep when you want to, and you are tired when you wake up in the morning.

It is also said that if you are not getting enough sleep, you become irritable and react emotionally to things.

Is your sleep being affected by your use of SNS?

If so, take steps to improve the quality of your sleep.

◎Turn off SNS notifications.

If your phone beeps while you are doing something else, you would react.

( Even if you are not the owner of that phone, you also react in your mind.)

And if you open and check SNS every time you hear them, you would spend quite some time.

And you may not be able to concentrate on what you are doing at the time, or you may end up putting off what you need to do.

Of course, if it is your free time, it is good to do what you like and relieve stress.

But if you are feeling a little tired, simply turning off notifications can be an effective way to reduce the frequency of your SNS use.

◎Make time to reflect on yourself.

If you have a tendency to constantly check SNS, you tend to absorb information only about other people and neglect the most important thing, yourself.

Especially if the reason for checking SNS is to kill time, you may not have time to reflect on yourself because it has become a habit.

It is very important to be aware of how you are feeling, whether you are tired or energetic, whether you are getting enough sleep, what you can do to enjoy yourself, and so on, in order to keep your mind healthy.

Taking time to think about what posts and comments make you happy, sad, or angry, and why, is one way to use SNS successfully.

Be more sensitive to your own information than that of anyone else.

◎ Become an active user.

Active users are those who actively post, leave comments, “like,” and interact with other people on the SNS.

Passive users, on the other hand, are those who simply browse the posts of other people and do not interact with them in any way.

Numerous studies have shown that people who only browse SNS are more likely to experience negative psychological effects, such as worsening symptoms of social anxiety and feelings of isolation.

While there are benefits to connecting with someone on a SNS and feeling like you are not alone, it is important to note that passive use can lead to feelings of loneliness.

And, if the person is actively communicating with other people, he or she is not likely to experience such negative effects, according to the studies.

Of course, be careful not to be an active user who posts or comments in a way that hurts the feelings of someone else.

SNS is a very useful tool that allows you to easily interact with someone.

There are many good things about using it, such as the fact that you can obtain a variety of information and stay connected to people even when they are far away.

However, if you do not control how you use it, it can have negative effects such as focusing only on your deficiencies, getting hurt by casual comments, and increasing feelings of loneliness and insecurity.

Be aware of these things so that you can effectively use SNS.