Effect of negativity of social media on mental health

influence of social media

Nowadays, the first thing we do when we wake up in the morning is check our phones. During this time, we look at the news of political controversies, hateful comments or any accident. In this way we unknowingly remain surrounded by negativity throughout the day. Even if it’s just a post, did you know that your brain sees it as a threat? In this article, we will discuss how social media negativity affects our mental health.

stress hormone

When you constantly watch sad and violent news, your brain starts releasing the hormone cortisol. The negativity present on social media signals the brain that we are in some danger, which makes us always feel nervous or stressed.

doomscrolling habit

If you’re watching bad news and can’t stop, it’s called doomscrolling. Our brain gives more importance to bad news so that we can remain alert. But on social media it becomes an endless cycle, which can lead to headaches, lack of sleep, and mental fatigue.

Comparison and inferiority complex

Negativity is not limited to news only. Seeing the perfect life of others and considering yourself inferior is also a negative experience. When you compare your life to the filtered lives of others, it can lead to jealousy and low self-esteem, which can gradually lead to depression.


rage betting trend

The trend of rage betting is increasing rapidly on social media. In this, such content is deliberately created which makes you angry and you comment on it. To increase engagement, people create content that increases your anger, releases stress hormones and increases blood pressure.

other serious effects

Constantly changing and negative information reduces our attention span, making us unable to concentrate completely on any one task. When we see violence or sad content on social media daily, our brains become numb to them, and we become desensitized to the suffering of others.

Hateful words and debates on social media start getting reflected in our behavior, causing us to get angry over small things.

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