How Social Media Causes Depression Anxiety

Social Media and Depression Anxiety

How social media causes depression anxiety. Individuals who media multi-task, simultaneously engage in social media, gaming, texting, cell phones, etc., are more likely to have depression and anxiety a new study has found.

Overall media use among youth has increased by 20 per cent during the past decade, but multi-tasking – simultaneously accessing two or more forms of media – has increased by more than 119 per cent in the same period.

The study conducted by psychologist Dr. Mark Becker, of Michigan State University, found a 70 per cent increase in self-reported depressive symptoms between the group with lowest level of media multi-tasking and the group with highest level.  When it came to social anxiety, there was a 42% increase between the groups.

A survey by the Today Show of 7,000 mothers, found that 42% of mothers using the photo sharing site Pinterest, reported occasionally suffering from Pinterest Stress.  The social anxiety stress associated with trying to project a perfect life at all times.

Obviously, social media causes depression anxiety, but how?

How Social Media Causes Depression Anxiety

How social media causes depression anxiety, occurs in two ways, and comes down to one word – STRESS!  Chronic stress causes depression anxiety.

Being constantly on alert for new social media messages, to your primitive instinctive fight or flight limbic system, is the same as being on constant alert for predators, which causes a constant release of the stress hormone cortisol.

Learn More: How Stress Causes Depression Anxiety

Constant release of the stress hormone cortisol, from multiple social media usage, over time causes damage to your gastrointestinal tract (gut), which opens the door to an immuno-inflammatory response in the body and brain, leading to depression anxiety.

Learn More:  Gut Brain Connection and Depression Anxiety

The other way how social media causes depression anxiety, is from the stress produced from constantly trying to project an unrealistic, and unachievable perception of perfection within your social network.

The constant stress from constantly trying to project an image of perfection, a perfect career, perfect marriage, perfect everything, leads to the constant release of the stress hormone, and just like mult-tasking social media usage, leads to depression anxiety.

Learn More:  Depression Anxiety Can Be Contagious

The Pinterest Social Anxiety Survey results clearly point this out, but it is not only Pinterest that can cause depression anxiety, any social networking media platform, where social judging takes place, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, will all produce the same results.

How to Overcome Social Media Depression Anxiety

The problem of social media depression anxiety is real and growing.  Each new social networking platform adds a new layer of stress upon the existing social networking platform.  Everyone has their breaking point.

If you have depression anxiety caused by social media, the solution to overcoming your social media depression anxiety, is to reduce or eliminate your social media usage.  Consider a social media detox, where you eliminate social media usage completely for a week or two, to determine if social media is causing your depression anxiety.

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To lessen the impact of social media withdrawal, replace your social media usage with extra exercise, and cognitive behavior therapies such as yoga and meditation for depression anxiety recovery.

Depression anxiety has many causes, from both psychological stress and physical toxins, which can singularly or in combination produce depression anxiety.  Constant use of social media may be the sole cause of your depression anxiety, or it may be adding one stress to many, on top of all the other factors which can cause depression anxiety.

Learn More:  What Causes Depression Anxiety

Social Media Depression Anxiety Recovery

Recovery from social media induced depression is the same as recovery for any other type of stress induced depression anxiety.  Elimination of the cause of your stress, in this case social media, and healing of the damage caused to your gut from constant stress, using diet, supplements, and exercise.

Learn more about our natural depression anxiety alternative, and get started on your recovery with our step by step Guide to Depression Anxiety Recovery.

More Information:
Depression Anxiety Diet
Depression Anxiety Recipes
Depression Anxiety Exercises

6 thoughts on “How Social Media Causes Depression Anxiety

    • Hey Sagar, I feel you man.

      Reading this whole story made some sense to me. Being alert a lot by trying to keep up with e-mails, messages, returning calls, texting, checking my phone and that takes a lot of energy. I can see how it can cause more anxiety for me.

      I need to work out a plan where I only check my phone at specific times and not try and do everything all at once and take time for certain things and take life a little slower I guess.

  1. Pingback: Read: Are Today's Young People More Prone to Depression? - Journalism & News from Bournemouth University

  2. Also, the cell phone and facebook use make it too easy for everyone to contact you and bother you when you are trying to relax and disconnect……….I mean, wherever you are, people know they can contact you and expect a response to a question, because you create that boundary. And because it is so easy for people to click and push buttons, invitations are a lot more frequent so your life is not as it intended. The invitation rate and social engagement rate is far greater now than ever. Another reason that this may be is because you are connected with many more people on facebook than you would be without. In sight, in mind. People see you and think, “hey, we should get together. LIfe balance is difficult as a result.

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