Introduction: Given previous experimental research on the benefits of limiting time spent on social media and correlational research linking active use to better well-being, we designed an experimental study to investigate the effects of limiting time and increasing active use on social media on well-being. Method: After completing a survey on who they followed on social media and undergoing a week of baseline monitoring, 88 undergraduates at a private university were randomly assigned to either limit Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Snapchat use to 30 minutes in total per day and increase their active use, just limit their use to 30 minutes per day, or continue to use social media as usual for three weeks. Results: The initial survey revealed that following more friends was negatively correlated with loneliness whereas following more strangers was positively correlated with depression. Highly depressed participants in the limited use group showed significant reductions in depression compared to the control group, but the active group did not show similar benefits. Highly active participants in the active group reported greater loneliness and anxiety and lower self-esteem at week 4 compared to less active participants in the active group, whereas the most passive participants in the control group showed the worst depression overall. Discussion: Our findings suggest that following friends rather than strangers and limiting time spent on social media may lead to significant improvements in well-being, and that moderately active engagement may be the most adaptive.

中文翻译：

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太多的好事：我们关注谁、我们做什么以及我们在社交媒体上花费多少时间会影响幸福感

简介：鉴于之前关于限制在社交媒体上花费时间的好处的实验研究以及将积极使用与更好的幸福感联系起来的相关研究，我们设计了一项实验研究来调查限制时间和增加在社交媒体上的积极使用对幸福感的影响 -存在。方法：在完成一项关于他们在社交媒体上关注的对象的调查并接受一周的基线监测后，一所私立大学的 88 名本科生被随机分配到将 Facebook、Instagram、Twitter 和 Snapchat 的使用时间限制为每天 30 分钟，以及增加他们的积极使用，将他们的使用限制在每天 30 分钟，或者继续像往常一样使用社交媒体三周。结果：初步调查显示，关注更多朋友与孤独感呈负相关，而关注更多陌生人与抑郁呈正相关。与对照组相比，限制使用组的高度抑郁参与者的抑郁症显着减少，但活动组没有显示出类似的益处。与积极组中不太活跃的参与者相比，积极组中高度活跃的参与者在第 4 周报告了更大的孤独和焦虑以及更低的自尊心，而对照组中最被动的参与者表现出最严重的抑郁症。讨论：我们的研究结果表明，关注朋友而不是陌生人并限制在社交媒体上花费的时间可能会显着改善幸福感，