Researchers Find Decline In Facebook Use Could Be Directly Linked To Desire To Be Happy, Fully Functioning Person

BERKELEY, CA—Researchers at University of California-Berkeley discovered Friday that a reduction in Facebook use could be directly linked to one’s desire to be a happy and fully functioning person. “Our data indicate that there may, in fact, be a relationship between yearning to be a self-realized human who enjoys being with other people in the real world and not spending every waking minute on artificial, once-removed social-interaction venues such as Facebook,” said lead scientist Dr. Charles Jennings, explaining that those who logged even marginally less time on the site displayed greater interest in performing basic physical activities, at least occasionally left their homes, and developed more meaningful relationships with others. “Furthermore, the vast majority of subjects did not miss ignoring others to bury their faces in their phones, endlessly obsessing over their public image, or mindlessly scrolling through a timeline in an attempt to fill a perceived void in their lives. Instead, most generally preferred things like experiencing the outside world, sleeping regularly, and allowing themselves the full range of human emotion.” Dr. Jennings added that the long-term psychological effects of decreased Facebook use are unclear, as the study had largely been conducted through polls and questionnaires on the UCB Psychology Department’s Facebook page.