Comments on: Using Facebook makes you feel happier

By: Daren James Stratton

Daren James Stratton — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 23:59:49 +0000

I happen to have Dr Good as my supervisor for my Final Year Project, and I know that she knows what she’s talking about. Maybe it would help, Mr Sharp that you weren’t so pessimist, as this is just an introduction to Dr Good’s research

By: Looking at old photographs can cheer you up | counselling and psychotherapy in croydon and london

Tue, 26 Mar 2013 13:02:56 +0000

[...] The University of Portsmouth found that three-quarters of people they studied looked at their own photos on Facebook when they were feeling low so they could ‘self-soothe’. It can be comforting to reminisce about happier times, she says, and looking at your pics can be “as soothing as a walk in the park”. [...]

By: Stephanie Davies

Stephanie Davies — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 10:14:19 +0000

I disagree.. What the article is saying is that people are ‘self soothed’ by looking back on positive updates, be they photos or wall posts. It certainly makes sense to me. I didn’t read it as advocating a cure for depression though, just a means to lift one’s mood I guess. It will be interesting to see what results from the larger study show

By: Remy Ollier

Remy Ollier — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 15:45:49 +0000

Talking to 144 facebook users can hardly be referred to as ‘research’. What Dr Good ‘concluded’ is more of an ‘assumption’ and can hardly be taken seriously. We already know that depression is caused by some occurence of the past, by past conditioning most commonly known as ‘baggage’. People who suffer from depression constantly dwell on the past. Suggesting that ‘looking at old photos can have a soothing effect on sufferers may be true. Short term maybe but it doesn’t get to the root of the depression. We know that memories of bad experiences from the past, lays dormant until triggered by some situations that slighty resembles theses bad experiences and the depression arises. Then lays dormant again until the next ‘episode’. To suggest that people should go and look at old photos or at the past to help their depression is quite irresponsible. It is more likely to increase their addiction to facebook and keep them trapped in their depression. Making such assumption based on talking to 144 people is ridiculous. The danger here is that most people who suffer from depression are more suggestible than most and can take this article seriously. They can find comfort by developing a stronger addction to Facebook. I take this article with a pinch of salt. Read the book ‘Practising the power of Now’ by Eckhart Tolle and learn how to drop the Ego to get rid of depression.

By: Facebook is a forum for narcissists (and maybe also for narcissistic researchers?) | The k2p blog

Tue, 19 Mar 2013 06:39:10 +0000

[...] University of Portsmouth has published a press release about a survey which finds that “Using Facebook to look at old photos of yourself and wall [...]