Research links a decline in wellbeing with time spent on the social media giant

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Most people will admit to having an unhealthy relationship with Facebook. Of the UK’s 32 million users, each person spends an incredible 26.5 hours a month using its services. We can’t live with it, yet we can’t live without it. Less than 20 minutes after deciding to stay off Facebook for a while, we’ll find ourselves scrolling through our newsfeed, glued to an argument that’s reaching boiling point with someone we went to school with 15 years ago but haven’t spoken to since.

While Facebook connects us with friends and family across the globe, and is a goldmine for hilarious videos (who doesn’t love Jonathan Pie?), it undoubtedly has its downsides. Now there’s scientific evidence to prove it.

A recent study published in the Journal of Epidemiology looked into more than 5,000 people’s usage of Facebook compared to their self-reported level of wellbeing over a three-year period. They found a significant correlation between Facebook usage and a decline in wellbeing, as well as people’s physical and mental health, and their life satisfaction.

Our advice? Moderation. Opening Facebook a dozen times a day is probably verging on the unhealthy. Opening a real book – or perhaps, a magazine called happiful – might be better for your wellbeing.