Five Hidden Negative Effects of Social Media on Your Brain
Submitted by Andy_B on Monday, 02 March 2020 Page Views: 550
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When we engage with social media, our primary focus is the immediacy of interacting with our contacts, whether we're commenting on Facebook posts, admiring Instagram images, letting off steam on Twitter or engaging in the latest gossip on Snapchat. You can be so intent on scrolling through feeds or getting immersed in the online conversations that you'll rarely consider what effect all this constant activity might be having on your grey matter. Research has demonstrated that engagement with social media can harm your brain, and here are five negative effects you might be unaware of.
Your appetite can be stimulated without you knowing it
As we browse through our social media feeds, our brains will be subject to a diverse range of incitements, with messages and imagery clamouring for our attention. It's far from uncommon for people to post photos of sumptuous banquets, either tantalizing their friendship circle with images of a particular feast they’ve enjoyed in a restaurant or proudly revealing a tasty dish cooked at home. The effect this will have on your brain is that, unwittingly, you will be stimulated into wanting to eat something tasty. In the hands of advertising agencies, visual stimulation is one of the oldest tricks in the book.
It can become easier to conform than to think for yourself
One particularly negative aspect of Facebook is the fact that people feel obliged to conform to what is perceived as accepted trains of thought. When you are congregating in the social media environment, exchanging messages and comments with people who are on the same wavelength, it becomes difficult to offer opinions that are likely to rock the boat. While some people thrive on arguments and questioning these norms, far more are less likely to want to express truly individual thoughts.
You might find your self-esteem being negatively impactedAny social media that relies heavily on imagery - especially Snapchat or Instagram - runs the risk of toying with people's self-esteem. It is the most natural inclination in the world to wish to be perceived in a positive light by your peers. For that reason, doctoring photographs or only uploading the most favourable ones, is widespread. The negative side of this is that people can be tricked into mistakenly assuming they are inadequate.
We become obsessive about instant communication
One of the most powerful attributes of social media is the way it allows us to convey our opinions instantly. When it comes to Twitter, we can compose a message in two to three lines, then press a button that will instantly transmit our sentiments to a global audience. But this instant aspect of communication can become a weight around our necks. We become obsessive about getting the message across as quickly as possible, and when people seem to be slow to respond, this can lead to unnecessary frustration. Our brains will experience genuine trauma.
Your brain finds it difficult to enter 'relax mode'
Another problem with social media is websites being open for business 24/7. Once upon a time, people might take a favourite book to bed, flipping through the pages until sleep became inevitable. Now individuals often bring their smart devices with them at bedtime, meaning they are staring into screens and bombarding their brains with stimuli that will make it impossible to wind down and enter a proper state of relaxation. All the stories and images being scrolled through in garish browsers when the lights are dimmed will leave brains in turmoil, thoughts and stresses whizzing around well into the night.
I hope this was useful as an introduction. With many thanks to Blog-trepreneur, Rose Morelli and Tendermeets for their kind support and assistance with this article, including creative commons images.
