A new study – conducted by the University of Derby – has found that spending just five minutes on the social platform can have an uplifting impact on our wellbeing.

Dr Zaheer Hussain, a lecturer in Psychology, sought to investigate the connection between the regular use of Facebook and high levels of stress and low levels of self-esteem. In particular, the study examined whether narcissism, stress and self-esteem could predict the intensity of Facebook use, and whether a short session on Facebook could produce immediate psychological effects.

The researchers asked 163 Facebook users to complete an online survey, before engaging in a short Facebook session. This was then followed up with another online survey.

The results showed that narcissism, stress and self-esteem did significantly predict the intensity of Facebook use among participants, with stress being the most significant factor.

Which basically boils down to this: the more stressed we are, the more likely we are to turn to Facebook for relief.

The surprising side-effect of spending just 5 minutes on Facebook