LISTEN: Social media driving American insane

FILE PHOTO - An illustration picture shows the Twitter logo reflected in the eye of a woman in Berlin

FILE PHOTO - An illustration picture shows the Twitter logo reflected in the eye of a woman in Berlin

Published Feb 24, 2017

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Washington - If you pull out your phone to check Twitter

while waiting for the light to change, or read e-mails while brushing your

teeth, you might be what the American Psychological Association calls a

“constant checker.” And chances are, it’s hurting your mental health. 

Last week, the APA released a study finding that

Americans were experiencing the first statistically significant stress increase

in the survey’s 10-year history. In January, 57 percent of respondents of all

political stripes said the U.S. political climate was a very or somewhat

significant source of stress, up from 52 percent who said the same thing in

August. On Thursday, the APA released the second part of its findings, “Stress

In America: Coping With Change,” examining the role technology and social media

play in American stress levels.

Social media use has skyrocketed from 7 percent of

American adults in 2005 to 65 percent in 2015. For those in the 18-29 age

range, the increase is larger, from 12 percent to a remarkable 90 percent. But

while an increase in social media usage is hardly surprising, the number of

people who just can’t tear themselves away is stark: Nowadays, 43 percent of

Americans say they are checking their e-mails, texts, or social media accounts

constantly. And their stress levels are paying for it: On a 10-point scale,

constant checkers reported an average stress level of 5.3. For the rest of

Americans, the average level is a 4.4. 

The highest stress levels, it should be noted, are

reserved for those who constantly check their work e-mail on days off.

Their average stress level is 6.0. So those of you who think it’s somehow

pleasant to work from home on a Saturday afternoon, you’re actually fooling

yourself. (Good news, there is certainly a way to fight burnout.)

About 42 percent of constant checkers specifically point

to political and cultural discussions as causing stress. And the impacts play

out in real life—35 percent of constant checkers say they are less likely to

spend time with family and friends because of social media.

If the first step toward recovery, however, is

admitting there is a problem, Americans are on their way. Some 65 percent

of respondents said “unplugging” or taking a “digital detox” is important. But

alas, knowing you have a problem is not the same as fixing it: Only 28 percent

of those Americans say they take their own advice. 

For those looking to manage their social media

usage, Anthony L. Rostain, professor of psychiatry at the Hospital

of the University of Pennsylvania and co-author of The Adult ADHD

Tool Kit: Using CBT to Facilitate Coping Inside and Out, offers some suggestions:

Set guidelines for your social media time.  Make

sure you complete the tasks you need to get done. Get the sleep you need. At

the end of the day, evaluate: “Did I do OK? Where did I slip up? Can I do

better tomorrow?” These are all important questions to ask yourself, Rostain

says. And he adds one final, crucial point: “Don’t [lie] in bed at all

hours with the screen in your face.”

BLOOMBERG

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