Question

social media under the skin: Facebook use after actue stress impairs cortisol recovery
based on the article name type in google you will get the article
Q. Discuss how the result of the study could be used to help people in the real world?

Answer 1

In their study on the interaction between increased Facebook use and physiological recovery from stress, Russ and Tiemensma found that participants showed significant changes in subjective and physiological stress markers during recovery. previous studies have shown mixed results between Facebook use and psychosocial well-being, some reporting a positive effect on self esteem of Facebook users, increased social support, other studies have shown a greater prevalence of social comparison on Social networks and thereby adding to the users’s already existing sense of distress.

Participants who used Facebook experienced greater sustained cortisol concentration (p < 0.05) compared to the control group. The Results suggest that social media use may delay or impair recovery after experiencing an acute stressor.

The result of this study can have practical application as Facebook remains till date the largest used social media across the globe. It therefore has immense implications for the psychological well being of the users. As reported by the study, Facebook Users reported greater sense of self esteem and social support with immediate Facebook use post their experience of a stressor. However, the results of the study show that the participants tend to have greater cortisol concentration thereby indicting that people are more likely to experience the arousal effect of the stress hormone in the form of heightened Heart rate and blood pressure. When more awareness is created about the physiological influence of increased Facebook use in states of arousal due to stress, people would be more conscious about checking and using their social media profil in time of stress and instead can be trained to use relaxation techniques such as taking a walk, simple breathing exercises, meditation, etc instead of increaisng their dependence on anxiety causing technological portals. The study therefore can help to gain knowledge about technology Andy it’s spiral down effect in further perpetuating physiological stress. This can help to create a sense of empowerment and Increased social esteem in the Facebook user community.

Reference:

Rus HM, Tiemensma J. Social Media under the Skin: Facebook Use after Acute
Stress Impairs Cortisol Recovery. Front Psychol. 2017 Sep 19;8:1609.