But ‘likes’ decreases cortisol levels.
By Raif Karerat
A new study has attributed having more than 300 “friends” on Facebook to elevated stress in teenagers. On a more positive note, the same team also found that lending support to friends in the form of likes and encouraging comments decreases cortisol levels.
Led by Professor Sonia Lupien, researchers from the Institut universitaire en santé mentale de Montréal and the University of Montreal conducted a study which involved 88 teenagers aged 12 to 17 years old.
According to Tech Times, the teens answered a set of questions detailing their Facebook activities. The data involved their frequency of usage, number of Facebook friends, level of self-promoting behavior and level of encouraging behavior they extend to friends over social media.
The team underscored the fact that cortisol levels were not entirely dependent on social media usage.
“While other important external factors are also responsible, we estimated that the isolated effect of Facebook on cortisol was around eight per cent,” said Professor Sonia Lupien, the study’s leader. “We were able to show that beyond 300 Facebook friends, adolescents showed higher cortisol levels; we can therefore imagine that those who have 1,000 or 2,000 friends on Facebook may be subjected to even greater stress,” she continued.
Other studies have shown that high morning cortisol levels at 13 years increase the risk of suffering from depression at 16 years by 37 percent, reported the Press trust of India. While none of the adolescents suffered from depression at the time of the study, Lupien could not conclude that they were free from an increased risk of developing it.