Main content

Could a week away from Facebook boost our happiness?

Researchers in Denmark say people who took a break from Facebook felt much happier and were more satisfied with their social lives.

More than 1,000 regular users of the social media site were divided into two groups - one was told to stop using Facebook for a week, while the other was instructed to carry on accessing it as normal. The Happiness Research Institute in Copenhagen asked them to evaluate their happiness and well-being, both before and after.

The institute's chief executive Meik Wiking told Rhod Sharp on 5 live that some participants had become more aware of their Facebook use after the experiment, and he also claimed that social media sites exposed people to a "distorted reality".

This clip is originally from Up All Night on 5 Live on Thursday 12 November 2015

Release date:

Duration:

2 minutes

This clip is from