How Facebook Makes You Unhappy. Or Not.
In the New Yorker, psychologist and author Maria Konnikova examines studies showing that Facebook — and Internet use in general — makes people unhappy, along with those showing just the opposite, that Facebook use makes people happier, increasing social trust and engagement. How could this be? She teases out the fact that the research showing negative effects may have focused on passive use (scrolling through newsfeeds), whereas those evincing positive effects looked at active use (posting, “liking,” and so on). In short, engage with life online, don’t let it just wash over you.