Is Facebook Bringing you Down?

Let's face it, if you're not on Facebook, people look at you like you have two heads.  Am I right?  Turns out, maybe it's better to not be a Facebook user according to a new German study.  Researchers have found that Facebook caused envy and brought on  feelings of misery and loneliness in one out every three people in the study.  After visiting the site, many people tended to feel worse and generally more dissatisfied with their lives.  Those who posted the least and just looked at what other people were posting, were negatively affected the most. Here are some misery causes:

- Vacation photos biggest cause of resentment

- Social interaction was the second most common cause of envy as users could compare how many birthday greetings they received to those of their Facebook friends and how many "likes" or comments were made on photos and postings.

- Those feeling envious of others tended to boost themselves up by boasting more about their achievements on their page to show themselves in a better light.

- Men tended to self promote the most by touting their accomplishments while women stressed their good looks and social lives.

So what do we get out of this?  Maybe we're misusing Facebook.  Yes, it's fun to connect with family and friends but my advice would be to spend less time sitting in front of your computer, looking at how other people are living their lives and more time living your life and connecting with people on a more personal level.