Psychologists believe that those who are most addicted to the website can develop ‘Facebook-related anxiety'. The negative effects of using the site, which has more than 500 million members, outweighed the benefits of staying in touch with friends and family, the Daily Mail reports.
Researchers from Edinburgh Napier University questioned students on their use of the site. Many said turning down friend requests left them feeling guilty, while more than one in ten found just being on the site a ‘nervous’ experience.
Others could not handle the pressure to be ‘entertaining', while others became ‘envious’ of users who had more friends or seemed to be having more fun than them.
Kathy Charles, of Napier University, who led the study, said: "We found it was actually those with the most contacts, those who had invested the most time in the site, who were the ones most likely to be stressed."
Published 17 February 2011, 11:00 IST