Many people use the social media site Facebook. Facebook can be good fun and can be a great way to stay in touch with friends, colleagues and relatives. However, a new study indicates that married couples may want to take care to not spend too much time on this social media site. The study reportedly found that excessive use of Facebook by a person can lead to them facing increased strife and difficulties in their romantic relationships. Increased strife and difficulties can be very hard on a marriage and can sometimes even lead to a divorce.
The above-mentioned study was conducted by researchers from the University of Missouri School of Journalism, St. Mary’s University in San Antonio and the University of Hawaii at Hilo. Reportedly, the study is expected to soon be published in the Journal of Cyberpsychology, Behavior and Social Networking.
In the study, researchers surveyed 205 individuals who are Facebook users. The individuals’ ages ranged from 18 to 82. In this survey, researchers asked the individuals questions about their Facebook use and how their Facebook use impacted their current and former romantic relationships. The researchers then analyzed the results of this survey.
The researchers reportedly found that individuals that had very high levels of Facebook use (checking Facebook more frequently than once an hour) had an increased likelihood of experiencing Facebook-related strife in their romantic relationships. The study found that excess Facebook use was particularly impactful on romantic relationships that were less than three years old.
As Facebook and social media in general become a bigger and bigger part of our society, it is important for us to be mindful of what impacts our social media habits can have and to practice healthy social media habits. As the results from the above-mentioned study indicate, one potential impact of unhealthy social media habits (such as spending too much time on social media) could be a weakening of a person’s relationship with their spouse or significant other.
Source: The Huffington Post, “Facebook, Divorce Linked In New Study,” June 6, 2013