YOUR FACEBOOK LIFE

Facebook can make you unhappy. Researchers texted study participants five times a day with questions about their social-networking activity and how they felt, and found that Facebook visits directly correlated with negative emotions, such as depression and loneliness. While Facebook seems to fulfill “the basic human need for social connection,” says University of Michigan social psychologist Ethan Kross, it can actually undermine well-being. Researchers speculate that because Facebook users tend to post idealized versions of their lives, many visitors who read those pages feel their own lives pale in comparison.