Facebook use is linked with a prolonged life say UCSD researchers

tunisante November 2, 2016

Researchers studied the correlation between Facebook use and lifetime
Study of 12 million Facebook users suggests social network prolongs life
Average user is 12 per cent less likely to die in a given year than non-user
But researchers said this does not prove causation, as it’s an association

Abigail Beall For Mailonline

Published:
15:00 EDT, 31 October 2016

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Updated:
16:56 EDT, 31 October 2016

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Facebook fans now have an excuse to spend their waking hours on the addictive site.

A study of 12 million Facebook users suggests the social networking site is associated with living longer, and it does not make a difference how many ‘likes’ people get.

But this is only when it serves to maintain and enhance people’s real-world social ties, the researchers added.

A study of 12 million Facebook users suggests the social networking site is associated with living longer, and it does not make a difference how many ‘likes’ people get. But this is only when it serves to maintain and enhance your real-world social ties, the researchers added

FACEBOOK TO LOOK AT ‘PUBLIC INTEREST’ POSTS

Facebook has repeatedly faced criticism for removing posts that were said to violate its community standards.

In many cases, the posts have been allowed back on the site following a backlash.

Just last week, Facebook apologised for removing a video on breast cancer awareness posted in Sweden because it deemed the images ‘offensive’.

The social network has confirmed that it will now consider whether posts are in the ‘public interest’ before removing them in future.

The research, an association study that cannot identify causation, was led by University of California San Diego researchers William Hobbs and James Fowler, collaborating with colleagues at Facebook and Yale.

It is published today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

‘Interacting online seems to be healthy when the online activity is moderate and complements interactions offline,’ said first author William Hobbs, who worked on the study as a UC San Diego doctoral student and is now a postdoctoral fellow at Northeastern University.

‘It is only on the extreme end, spending a lot of time online with little evidence of being connected to people otherwise, that we see a negative association.’

The research confirms what scientists have known for a long time about the offline world – people who have stronger social networks live longer.

But it documents for the first time that what happens online may also make a difference.

‘Happily, for almost all Facebook users, what we found is balanced use and a lower risk of mortality,’ said James Fowler, professor of political science in the UC San Diego Division of Social Sciences.

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The researchers matched California Facebook users with vital records from the California Department of Public Health.

After being automatically matched on name and birth date, the data was de-identified and aggregated.

The researchers compared the activity of those still living to those who had died over a period of six months.

The benefit is only when it serves to maintain and enhance your real-world social ties, the researchers added. The research confirms what scientists have known for a long time about the offline world – people who have stronger social networks live longer

In a given year, the average Facebook user is about 12 per cent less likely to die than someone who does not use the site. The researchers noted this was their crudest measure, and it may be due to social or economic differences between the user and non-user groups

SEE YOUR OWN SETTINGS

To find what Facebook and advertisers know about you, simply log into your Facebook account on a desktop.

Once you are on the site, travel to the left hand side where you will see your name, ‘Edit Profile’, ‘Favorites’ and ‘Pages’.

Under the section ‘Pages’, ‘Like Pages’ should be list.

Click on this option and it will take you to another page that lists a range of suggests for you to choose from.

At the top are three options – ‘Top Suggestions’, ‘Invites’ and ‘Like Pages’.

Click on ‘Like Pages’ and you should be presented with every page you have ‘Liked’ since you became a Facebook member.

Here you can unclick certain pages, so Facebook can serve you better ads.

All of those studied were born between 1945 and 1989, and all the comparisons were made between people of similar age and gender.

The researchers found those who are on Facebook live longer than those who are not.

In a given year, the average Facebook user is about 12 per cent less likely to die than someone who does not use the site.

The researchers noted this was their crudest measure, and it may be due to social or economic differences between the user and non-user groups.

Facebook users who accepted the most friendships also lived the longest.

Those on Facebook with highest levels of offline social integration – as measured by posting more photos, which suggests face-to-face social activity – had the greatest longevity.

People with average or large social networks, in the top 50 to 30 per cent, lived longer than those in the lowest 10 – a finding consistent with classic studies of offline relationships and longevity.

‘The association between longevity and social networks was identified by Lisa Berkman in 1979 and has been replicated hundreds of times since,’ said Professor Fowler.

‘In fact, a recent meta-analysis suggests the connection may be very strong.

‘Social relationships seem to be as predictive of lifespan as smoking, and more predictive than obesity and physical inactivity.

‘We’re adding to that conversation by showing that online relationships are associated with longevity, too.’

The researchers hope subsequent research leads to a better understanding of what kinds of online social experiences are protective of health.

‘What happens on Facebook and other social networks is very likely important,’ Professor Fowler said.

‘But what we can’t do at this time is give either individual or larger policy recommendations based on this first work.’