Can’t Quit Facebook? Study Says Addiction is to Blame.

Have you ever felt that Facebook is an addiction?  If so, it’s time to stop that way of thinking.

A group of researchers from Cornell looked at more than 5,000 surveys from participants in the 99 Days of Freedom project, where people tried to stay off Facebook for 99 days.

In the study they found people were more likely to log back on if they had described Facebook as addictive.  The content most users missed the most was photos.  Here’s the thing users said their usage of other sites like Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest picked up.

I once gave up Facebook for Lent which was significantly less than the 99 days and found it to be one of the most positive experiences.  I was also one of those who supplemented Facebook with other things like Twitter and Instagram.  The biggest problem is the habit in which you get into, whether you’re stuck in line at the grocery, or are just trying to waste time in between commercial breaks when watching TV.  It’s almost an automatic reaction to pick up your phone (at least for me it was) and log onto Facebook.  One of the study participants said “whenever I opened my browser, my fingers would automatically go to ‘f.’”

Take away nugget from the study: You need to convince yourself that you’re not addicted to Facebook and hopefully you won’t be.