Digital friendships are not enough... A new study links social media to loneliness

- Do you think that messaging your friends via the TikTok or Instagram platform will make you closer to them? Not only does social media use seem to enhance friendships, but it can sometimes increase feelings of loneliness, according to a study published in the US Public Health Service, the official journal of the US Public Health Service.

The study, which included more than 1,500 Americans between the ages of 30 and 70, showed that adults whose online relationships included people they had never met in person before were more likely to feel lonely. The lead author of the study and professor of public health at Oregon State University in Corvallis, USA, Dr. Brian Primack, said that what is striking is that communicating with a greater number of close friends via social media did not make people less lonely.

Primack added that the majority of previous studies focused on the impact of social media on children and adolescents, while this study provides a broader view of the impact of digital interactions on adults. Primack pointed out that one of the study's most notable limitations is that it does not conclusively clarify whether the loneliest people are the ones who tend to communicate with strangers online, or whether communicating with strangers is what increases their feelings of loneliness.

Primack emphasized that much previous research has proven that real-life friendships reduce feelings of loneliness, but communicating with friends online "is not the same thing at all." This disparity may explain why many people feel lonely.

Building real friendships It seems that building real friendships outside the digital world is necessary to alleviate the feeling of loneliness. This is very common, said Melissa Greenberg, a clinical psychologist at Princeton Psychotherapy Center in New Jersey.

Greenberg, who was not involved in the study, suggested joining a reading club, attending special events at museums and movie theaters, or participating in sports or art sessions. You can also volunteer for a political campaign or join a religious group.

“People often form friendships with people who share the same interests, so doing an activity you love can be a good place to start,” she said. Greenberg added that choosing activities close to where you live is also beneficial, since people tend to build friendships with those who live near them.

She also stressed the importance of putting the phone away, explaining that being busy browsing it makes communicating with people around you more difficult. Try asking these questions with the goal of starting a conversation that might develop into a friendship. Greenberg advises asking questions that require answers beyond one word.

Instead of asking, “How was your weekend?”, you could ask, “What did you do over the weekend?” You can also ask the person about his favorite bar, café, or place in the area.

She added that gentle compliments can be an effective method. On the other hand, if someone asks you a question, Greenberg advises sharing specific details from your life, rather than just giving general answers.

For example, don't just say your vacation was great, talk about what you really did. She added that many people may be more willing to build friendships than we imagine, as people like to feel that others care about them.

Tips when using social media: Although Greenberg does not recommend relying on social media as a means of maintaining friendships, she believes that if you must use it, it is better to employ it to stay in touch with the people in your life, whether through messages or interacting with their posts. She explained that passive social media use is linked to increased depression and anxiety, often because constant browsing involves frequent social comparisons.

As for active use, such as posting, commenting, and sending messages, it does not seem to have the same negative effects for the majority of people. For his part, Primack said that he advises social media users to think about the people they interact with, and whether they really want to maintain these relationships.

The study suggests that overcoming loneliness may sometimes require people to get out of the house to meet people face to face.