Want less stress? Quit Facebook
Bottom Line: There's been a fair amount of research that's shown Facebook generally leads to these types of outcomes for the average person:
People feel worse after using it
The average person who uses it – checks it 2-3 times daily
Negative occurrences on Facebook carry over into everyday life/relationships
That doesn't exactly paint the prettiest picture does it? And that's not to speak of the potential role that Facebook and related social media may be playing in the escalation of violence, specifically in schools, with teens. But still the ability to stay connected, share pics and experiences etc. Often provides enough incentive to stay engaged with Facebook. If you're especially feeling stressed, it might be time to break the habit.
According to the newest study of Facebook outcomes, published in the Journal of Social Psychology, active Facebook users were broken into two groups. One group continued to use Facebook daily, and the other half didn’t. Cortisol (the stress hormone) levels were studied in all participants. After five days the group that hadn't used Facebook had stress levels that were "significantly" lower.
It wasn't all upside for those who cut the Facebook cord. Those who weren't connected experienced anxiety over being disconnected. In other words, FOMO is real and it's probably the reason we keep coming back for more. Even though we generally are more stressed when we do.