Spend time in any public place — except maybe places of worship — and you’ll notice that everyone is on a mobile device and probably using social media.
But why are social media sites like Facebook so addicting? Researchers at Michigan State University and in The Netherlands recently conducted two studies to find out; results were published in Cyberpsychology, Behavior and Social Networking.
The studies involved frequent and less frequent Facebook users. What researchers discovered: Social media makes us feel good. Even brief exposure to a Facebook-related image — a logo or screenshot, for example — causes a positive emotional response in frequent social media users, and this response may trigger cravings that are difficult to resist.
The problem is that social media addiction is a hard habit to break. One first step: remove cues like icons from your phone, tablet, and computer, so you’ll be less likely to go to your favorite social media sites as often.