Quitting Facebook could be good for you - study

  • 08/04/2018
Deleting Facebook could lower your stress levels, a study suggests.
Deleting Facebook could lower your stress levels, a study suggests. Photo credit: Getty

Many people may be considering deleting their Facebook accounts after its recent data scandal.

Chief executive Mark Zuckerberg has admitted that it was a "huge mistake" to improperly share 87 million users' personal information with consultancy firm Cambridge Analytica.

But there's another reason to consider ditching the social media giant: it might just be good for you.

A new study by the University of Queensland has found that leaving Facebook can rapidly decrease stress levels.

Of 138 active Facebook users involved with the study, half were told to stop using the site for five days.

The research team tested this group's levels of cortisol (a stress hormone) before the experiment and afterwards and found that their physiological stress had been reduced.

However, participants also reported lower feelings of well-being after five days with no Facebook.

"People said they felt more unsatisfied with their life, and were looking forward to resuming their Facebook activity," says research team leader Dr Eric Vanman.

"They felt less content with their lives - from the resulting social disconnection of being cut-off from their Facebook friends."

Newshub.