According to a recent Boston University study, the simple act of “face-booking” might be causing more people to seek divorce. Facebook seems innocent enough – you log-in, check out what your friends are doing (or eating), update your status and then log out – for at least a few minutes. But it seems that as a result, more social media users are more likely to change their relationship to “status” as a result of this habit.
“Computers in Human Behavior”
The BU study, “Computers in Human Behavior,” concluded that Facebook use has a direct link to reduced marital satisfaction as well higher divorce rates. The study claims that Facebook users increase between 2008 and 2010. During that same period the divorce rate in the U.S. also increased – by 2 percent.
“…significant statistical relationship…”
“Although it may seem surprising that a Facebook profile, a relatively small factor compared to other drivers of human behavior, could have a significant statistical relationship with divorce rates and marital satisfaction, it nonetheless seems to be the case,” concludes the author of the study. “This relationship holds up at both the individual and state levels.”
Why?
The study also conjectures why social media might lead to higher divorce rates. The first reason is that using social media sites weakens marriages. This could be the result of time spent away from your spouse, or also just time spent focusing on what other people are doing. The second reason is that people who are in already trouble relationships often turn to social networking sites. Perhaps this is because they are looking for a distraction, or perhaps looking for another future mate.
Source: CBS Boston, BU Study: Social Media Use Leads To Higher Divorce Rate, September 2, 2014