Social media causes more stress in women

WARNING: The Following Information May Be Harmful To Our Female Readers!

A recent survey has found that stress is contagious via social media, and believe it or not, it’s worse for women.

We never thought we’d see the day where social media has a negative effect on us. After all, where would we be without filters, selfies and hashtags? But according to a survey by the Pew Research Centre in Washington, D.C, social media is causing higher levels of stress, especially for women.

“The rise of social media platforms make people more aware of events in the lives of their close friends and family, as well as in the lives of more socially distant acquaintances. Learning about undesirable events such as a friend or family member getting fired, losing someone close to them, divorce or illness can result in higher feelings of stress,” says Robyn Farrell, executive head of 1st for Women Insurance.

Surprisingly, increased stress levels are not associated with the frequency of technology use, or even by the number of friends users have on social media platforms. The use of digital technology linked to stress is actually tied to the awareness of stressful events in the lives of others.

The research showed that women who were aware that:

• Someone close to them experienced the death of a child, partner or spouse scored 14% higher on the survey’s measure of stress,
• Someone close has been hospitalised or experienced a serious accident or injury reported 5% higher stress.
• An acquaintance had been accused of or arrested for a crime scored 11% higher on the stress measure.
• An acquaintance experienced a demotion or cut in pay reported 9% higher stress in their own lives.

For men, only two events predicted stress:

• Someone close to them had been accused of or arrested for a crime scored 15% higher on our measure of stress.
• An acquaintance had experienced a demotion or pay cut at work report 12% higher stress.

“On the flipside, women who use Twitter, e-mail and cell phone picture sharing reported lower levels of stress because sending text messages of pictures of events shortly after they happen and expressing oneself through their interaction, may provide women with an easily accessible coping mechanism. They feel more connected, more supported and more involved when using social media.” notes Farrell.

So remember, there are benefits to using social media, but it should be used in moderation.

“You have to know when to turn off your phone or computer and tune out. This can help women avoid unnecessary and excessive stress,” says Farrell.