Social media use linked to poor physical health

The study found that participants who used social media excessively had higher levels of c-reactive protein (CRP)

"The use of social media has become an integral part of the daily lives of many young people," said lead author David Lee, Ph.

The findings were published in the journal Cyber ​​Psychology, Behavior and Social Networking

For decades, researchers have focused on the relationship between social media engagement and users' mental health, but its impact on physical health has not been thoroughly studied

"Our goal was to expand on previous work by examining the relationship between social media use across several platforms and physical, behavioral, and self-reported measures of physical health outcomes," said Lee, an expert on health outcomes related to social interaction

The researchers recruited 251 college students between the ages of 18 and 24 for the study sample

"We were able to establish a link between the amount of social media use and these physical fitness indicators," Li said

The research is just the beginning of understanding the relationship between social media and physical health, Lee said

"By looking at biomarkers in the blood, we were able to find a relatively more objective link between social media use and physical health, but this correlation finding cannot rule out the possibility that poor health affects social media use," Lee said

The adage applies to social media use and physical health as well: the rich get richer, and the poor get poorer, Lee said

"There is still a lot of work to be done," Li said

Lee's current research team includes Ohio State colleagues: Tao Jiang, a graduate student; Jennifer Crocker, Ph.

Journal Reference :

1. David S.