5 Ways Social Media Is Messing with Your Brain (And How to Fix It)

Fighting the FOMO

Ever find yourself scrolling through Instagram feeds and wishing you could be in two places at once? Fear of Missing Out (FOMO) is the increased feeling of anxiety someone gets when missing out on social activities or events. The ubiquitous feeling of missing out has been around for decades, but with social media that feeling is amplified. If you’re experiencing FOMO and are also experiencing feelings of irritability, anxiety, and inadequacy, you’re not alone. According to a study in the Journal of Business and Economic Research, nearly 40 percent of people ages 12 to 67 say that social media has increased their fear of missing out.

The solution? Practice social media mindfulness. When viewing these posts, think about why you couldn’t go or didn’t want to participate. Did you have prior commitments? Have you been before? Did you just not want to go? Were you unable to swing it financially? There was a reason you didn’t attend in the first place. If your FOMO persists after the fact, make a decision to attend the next one. Plan ahead—whether it is keeping that day open or setting up a budget.

Comparing Yourself to Your Peers

With social media at the forefront of today’s society, we’re constantly faced with curated squares of perfection; perfect lives, perfect homes, perfect bodies. Sometimes, comparisons motivate and fuel us to improve our own lives. However, social comparison can lead us down a bad path, according to a study in The Journal of Social Media in Society. In another study, 112 women “were randomly assigned to spend 10 minutes browsing their Facebook account, a magazine website, or an appearance-neutral control site before completing state measures of mood, body dissatisfaction, and appearance discrepancies (weight- face, hair, and skin-related).”

The report found that people who browsed Facebook were in a more negative mood than those who went through the alternatives. With access to billions of curated accounts at our fingertips, it’s easy for us to envy the little squares of life that we’re viewing.

The solution? Recognize that their feed is meant to only show you what they want you to see. For example, you open Instagram and see a photo of someone with prominent abs and the quad sweep of a Greek god. In an instant, you’ll start comparing your legs or your core to theirs without realizing that they’ve been cutting water for days in preparation of a bodybuilding show. Comparison is detrimental when you start asking yourself why you aren’t at their level yet but it’s beneficial when you use their physique as something to strive for.

Social Media Addiction

In today’s world, we’re constantly updating our “audience” on where we are, what we’re doing, what we’re eating, who we’re with. The creation of the “infinite scroll” in 2006 didn’t help this matter. Based on big business models, funding for apps comes from app usage. What can keep users on an app for an extended period of time? Infinite scroll. But, that’s not the only aspect that makes social media addicting. As social beings, we crave communication and validation. What’s the best way to do that? Simple: post a photo, receive likes and comments, gain followers. The co-founder of Facebook’s “Like” button said that she too had begun basing her self-worth on the number of likes she received.

The solution? Turn off your notifications and limit your time on apps! By disabling push-notifications for your social media apps, you’re disabling distractions. You’ll be able to focus more on the tasks at hand. The iPhone and Android gives users the ability to limit their screen time and the time they spend on specific apps directly from their phone. Head into your settings and limit your social media usage to 2.5 hours per day—you’ll see a difference in the quality of your interactions, your workday, and your workouts!

Your Feed Causes Anxiety

In 2017, there were 2.47 billion social media users across the world, according to Statista, which projected this number to reach more than three billion by 2021. It’s no surprise that many of the main motivators for social media use are to stay in touch with friends you don’t see, communicate with others, and the societal pressures to have an account. When we scroll through social media, our dopamine levels tend to increase, says a study by RadiumOne, which can feel like a high. With every notification, social media becomes a positive reinforcement in our everyday life. On the other side of the coin, when we don’t receive likes, comments, etc., it is perceived as negative reinforcement, which causes our self-esteem and overall well-being to drop.

The solution? Marie Kondo your apps! When you open up an app, think about the post that you land on. If the post brings you joy, keep following that account. The posts on your feed shouldn’t make you feel bad about yourself, even if it’s one of your friends. If posts from someone you dislike continue to pop up, unfollow them. At the end of the day, your feed is supposed to be chock-full of things you enjoy.

Nutrition and Training Misinformation

Social media benefits the fitness community in many ways like showcasing master trainers and dieticians, sharing workout regimens, recipes and product reviews, but is it all beneficial? With the rise of social media and #fitspiration, there’s also a rise of “Fake News” in the form of nutrition and training advice. More than 80 percent of social media users are specifically looking for health-related information, according to ReferralMD. From detox tea to military diets to insane workout regimens, social media helps influencers push an “eat like me and train like me to look like me” agenda, when they may not be the right person to promote it. The important aspect that most of these influencers and fad products/plans/diets are missing? Fitness and nutrition are not one-size-fits-all.

The solution? With these types of posts going viral, it’s important to ask questions and do your research. Is the person on the other end of that post a certified nutritionist or dietician? Are they a certified personal trainer? What knowledge and credentials do they have? Do they have experience? Do they use the product they are pushing, or is it just an #ad? The best way to combat misinformation surrounding training and nutrition is to research everything. Only take fitness and nutrition advice from others you trust, not a profile on social media.