title: Passive Facebook usage undermines affective well-being: Experimental and longitudinal evidence.
abstract: Prior research indicates that Facebook usage predicts declines in subjective well-being over time. How does this come about? We examined this issue in 2 studies using experimental and field methods. In Study 1, cueing people in the laboratory to use Facebook passively (rather than actively) led to declines in affective well-being over time. Study 2 replicated these findings in the field using experience-sampling techniques. It also demonstrated how passive Facebook usage leads to declines in affective well-being: by increasing envy. Critically, the relationship between passive Facebook usage and changes in affective well-being remained significant when controlling for active Facebook use, non-Facebook online social network usage, and direct social interactions, highlighting the specificity of this result. These findings demonstrate that passive Facebook usage undermines affective well-being.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Leuven.
authors.forename: Philippe
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Verduyn
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Michigan.
authors.forename: David Seungjae
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Michigan.
authors.forename: Jiyoung
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Park
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Michigan.
authors.forename: Holly
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Shablack
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Michigan.
authors.forename: Ariana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Orvell
authors.affiliation: Department of Communication Studies, University of Michigan.
authors.forename: Joseph
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bayer
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Michigan.
authors.forename: Oscar
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Ybarra
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Michigan.
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Jonides
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Michigan.
authors.forename: Ethan
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Kross
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000339:Affect / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D010549:Personal Satisfaction; D061108:Social Media; D055815:Young Adult