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Taking a break from social media makes you happier and less anxious

calnewport.com

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Re: Taking a break from social media makes you happier and less anxious

#211

Post by coffeeblack »

mongol wrote: post #83
Gigachad wrote: post #79

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is the kind of stuff that ends up filling my news feed. None of it has ever had any real effect on my life but it all seems to get equal feed real estate on reddit/twitter

Unsure about that.. I don't think Australia has been isolated from the rippling effects of price increases of grain and energy, that is one effect of the war in Ukraine. Probably not as much affected as many other countries, but I think you would still import products from countries where these effects are significant, and which have had to raise their prices due to it.

The price increases started before the invasion and have more to do with the printing of money during corona. But people forget quickly, despite social media.

Re: Taking a break from social media makes you happier and less anxious

#213

Post by laputan_machine »

k_sze wrote: post #201
laputan_machine wrote: post #187

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If a friend gets a great job or starts to live a healthy life you don't feel great for them? I don't believe that puts me in the minority of people, not a chance.

One could be “happy”* for a friend and also feel shitty about themself. “Damn. Matthew has changed jobs 3 times in the past 5 years already, each time to a better paying job. Look at you. You’re still stuck in this shitty job because you suck.” This is literally the kind of thought I have had in the past. [*] Are you “happy” in a polite way? Or are you genuinely happy?

Genuinely happy, of course! I want to see my friends and family succeed in life and enjoy it. I don't feel like a lesser person in any way, I feel proud of them.

Re: Taking a break from social media makes you happier and less anxious

#214

Post by laputan_machine »

bennyp101 wrote: post #191
laputan_machine wrote: post #187

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If a friend gets a great job or starts to live a healthy life you don't feel great for them? I don't believe that puts me in the minority of people, not a chance.

An actual friend then sure, but most people I know have like 500+ “friends” so I think people are less likely to have that reaction to everyone in the timeline.

Oh I see yeah we're couched in the language of FB. I meant real friends, I noped out of most social media (ex. HN) in 2017. I don't miss it!

Re: Taking a break from social media makes you happier and less anxious

#215

Post by coffeeblack »

MikePlacid wrote: post #171
the_gipsy wrote: post #106

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Politics: it is what most impacts your life, yet you cannot change it, at all.

> Politics: it is what most impacts your life, Doubt that. I’ve lived through some changes of the ruling party in my current country, the only changes I’ve observed were: 1) would taxes be 49.9% or 50.1%, 2) in which exact foreign country our military will be waging or supporting another useless war. Compare that to the price of the stock of your company… > yet you cannot change it, at all. Oh, you can. I’ve changed…

There was one president recently who didn’t start a new war (first president in 40 years) but I was told that he was “dangerous”.

Re: Taking a break from social media makes you happier and less anxious

#216

Post by k_sze »

emteycz wrote: post #207
k_sze wrote: post #206

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Maybe you’re lucky to not be plagued by inferiority complex and/or impostor syndrome.

Perhaps, but then why blame social media and not these disorders?

I believe the argument would be that social media exacerbates the problem.

Re: Taking a break from social media makes you happier and less anxious

#218

Post by Gigachad »

coffeeblack wrote: post #209
Gigachad wrote: post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

For me it’s not the fake people showing off, it’s all the news, drama and doom. And arguably it’s all irrelevant anyway. As an Australian, if I had known nothing about Ukraine, BLM protests, Trump, Kyle Rittenhouse, etc, my life would be no bit worse or less informed. It would probably be a bit better. But if I check social media it’s just a non stop stream of crap.

Simply mute people who post the crap. Or use more localized social media.

Part of the problem is I do get sucked in to the drama really. There is nothing really of value on twitter other than drama.

Re: Taking a break from social media makes you happier and less anxious

#219

Post by [deleted] »

charstacker wrote: post #149

Consider the following scenario: You're pleased and content one minute, thinking your life is going fine the next. You have a few minutes to kill, so you log onto Facebook and begin scrolling... First, you notice a friend's post stating that she has accepted her ideal job. Then you read a coworker's too political rant. You continue browsing and see a video of your neighbour enjoying a fantastic tropical vacation. And…

[deleted]

Re: Taking a break from social media makes you happier and less anxious

#220

Post by lrvick »

id wrote: post #168
charstacker wrote: post #149

Consider the following scenario: You're pleased and content one minute, thinking your life is going fine the next. You have a few minutes to kill, so you log onto Facebook and begin scrolling... First, you notice a friend's post stating that she has accepted her ideal job. Then you read a coworker's too political rant. You continue browsing and see a video of your neighbour enjoying a fantastic tropical vacation. And…

If other people find their ideal job, have a tropical vacation, etc. it makes me feel... good? Those are good things in general, although the tropical vacation might make me also feel concerned about the climate. The problems I have with social media are that - it steals a lot of time - a lot of content gets me by evoking negative emotion - it's taxing to get exposed to so many different ideas, clips, heated discussi…

Having actually thrown away my phone, and lived in the woods, I can say I recommend the former as a fantastic mental health improvement. Living in the woods, not so much.
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