HARTFORD -- A study has linked Facebook and other social media use with some changes to your brain structure.
It’s obviously becoming an increasing problem in our daily lives. Staring at the screens, sometimes just spacing out on Facebook or Instagram. We’ve known there’s no way it can be really all that good for you, and now the science of it is starting to become more apparent.
The study was done at a German University, looking to determine if there was a link between smartphone social media use and a decrease in the grey matter in our brains. So what is grey matter? Put simply, it’s cell bodies. More cells, more grey matter so it’s a good thing to have more of it.
Sure enough, the researchers did find a link between Facebook use and decreased grey matter, but it brings up the argument of correlation and causation. Do the smartphones cause that decreased mass, or did people that already had the decreased mass look at their phones more? It’s all about figuring out which came first.
The study unfortunately wasn’t large enough to determine that, but you can bet future studies will focus on that. Yay science! They also learned that social media use activates parts of your brain involved with rewards. Like when you log on and find out that post you made about your puppy has a ton of likes.
This study gives us an idea of how our brain is reacting to behavioral addictions. We’ve known for years the influence of gambling and drug addiction on the brain, but we’re getting close to understanding social media’s impact. As with anything, it’s best to keep it in moderation.