A week without social media. The changes surprised scientists

Two psychologists from Durham University in the United Kingdom conducted a study to investigate the impact of a week-long break from social media on frequent users. The findings were surprising.

The scientific journal "PLOS ONE" released the results of the study by both psychologists. The research focused on the effects of a week-long hiatus from social media on the mood and emotional well-being of daily social media users. The surprising results and their analysis provided fresh insights into our relationship with social media.

Motivated by previous studies hinting at striking similarities between heavy social media use and addiction symptoms, the Durham psychologists initiated an experiment. They aimed to explore whether daily social media users, spending up to nine hours online, would manifest typical withdrawal symptoms such as anxiety, irritability, or mood changes upon ceasing this potentially addictive habit.

The surprising outcomes of the experiment, conducted with a group of 51 volunteers, caught even the researchers off-guard. They discovered that not only did the study participants fail to exhibit typical withdrawal symptoms after abstaining from social media for a week, but they also experienced negative emotions less often. Interestingly, the occurrence of positive emotions also decreased.

The experimental group consisted of 51 volunteers who spent between 30 minutes to nine hours a day on social media. These individuals were asked to stop using social media for six days. The researchers monitored their mental health and mood during this period and for the following four days.

As the scientists had foreseen, the participants experienced fewer negative emotions during their week-long social media break. However, to their surprise, the study also revealed less frequent positive emotions. Moreover, the participants reported less boredom throughout the day and felt less lonely.

The researchers proposed that these unexpected results might be due to the fact that limiting social media use removes experiences that can spark negative emotions (e.g., comparing oneself to others, FOMO) while also eliminating experiences that trigger positive sensations (e.g., social approval).

The authors of the publication, Michael Wadsley, and Niklas Ihssen, summarized their study's results by stating that for most people, even very intense use of social media does not appear to be addictive. They also noted that most of the volunteers experienced at least one "relapse", meaning they logged into at least one social network during the experimental week.

In their "PLOS ONE" publication, the researchers concluded: "Our study indicates that avoiding social media or limiting its use for a week does not entail any significant affective or motivational reactions".

They added, "Contrary to our initial assumptions, we found no evidence that heavy use of social media triggers withdrawal-like effects. This mirrors the recent consensus on diagnostic guidelines for video game-related disorders, which excluded the use of withdrawal criteria - suggesting that, similarly, in diagnosing problematic use of social media, the concept of withdrawal may not be as relevant".