Study: Facebook Making Us Miserable; Study: Facebook Makes You Depressed
VAUSE: Ikea will settle a wrongful death suit paying $50 million to families whose children were crushed to death by faulty designed furniture, which toppled over. The deaths led to the recall of millions of Ikea dressers, like the one shown here. The victims were all just 2 years old. The company will also donate a quarter- million dollars to three childrens' hospitals and a child safety charity. If you want to put the happy in holidays, stay off Facebook. A study in Denmark confirms what other studies found: Facebook makes you depressed. To explain more, i'm joined by Dr. Judy Ho, a clinical and forensic psychologist. Judy, thank you for coming in. So, the bottom line here is it's all about comparing your life to everybody else. Is it just comparing up and I guess comparing yourself to people you know?</s>DR. JUDY HO, CLINICAL & FORENSIC PSYCOLOGIST: No. So, earlier studies said it was the comparing up, comparing people to people you think are better than you, it doesn't matter what kind of comparison as long as you are someone who checks in with other people to decide what you're going to the.</s>VAUSE: I assume people who post the happy pictures on Facebook, the Martha Stewart Perfect Home scenes. I think they are axe murders or something and the photos are hiding a deep, dark secret.</s>HO: That's right. Why are you tailoring your image online?</s>VAUSE: There's something weird about people that do that, right?</s>HO: Yeah, but it's one of the ways that people try to gain self- esteem through putting stories up. But it really does a lot of detriment to other people.</s>VAUSE: The trick here is -- the point is not to lurk, just to go through and everything and just engage. That is sort of what?</s>HO: Because when you just scroll through the feed and doing this passive reviewing on Facebook that's what depresses people. You are not actively socializing. Online socialization is the same as in person. If you are scrolling that is not interaction. You need to set a time limit for Facebook so you are only on Facebook for 20 minutes and shut it off. Set a timer for yourself.</s>VAUSE: No one likes posting that mundane stuff all the bad stuff but that can be emotional good in one way?</s>HO: It captures what our life is about. We have mundane moments and horrible moments. You don't want to be the one always posting horrible moments but post a mundane moment. He's me just hanging out at a coffee shop working late. I'm going to start doing that next month.</s>VAUSE: Is it wrong to look for people you went to school with and lost their jobs and put on weight and lost their hair just hypothetically speaking here?</s>HO: No. That's not good either.</s>VAUSE: Why?</s>HO: That's bad, too, because there's something -- even when you are comparing down you feel a bit of a guilt i'm happy this person is not doing well. That messes with you.</s>VAUSE: There's guilt?</s>HO: Do you not have it?</s>VAUSE: I'd never do that.</s>HO: Me either.</s>VAUSE: The solution to Facebook depression is to get off Facebook.</s>HO: But if you have a black-and-white view of life. Somebody's going to have social media and the results of Facebook don't just apply to Facebook. They can apply to Twitter and Instagram. So, I think it's just limit your time, stop posting the highlight reel and don't passively watch feeds. Engage.</s>VAUSE: And get a real life.</s>HO: And get a real life. Hang out like this in real person.</s>VAUSE: Exactly. Judy, thanks so much.</s>HO: Thanks, John.</s>VAUSE: Appreciate it. Up next, if you are annoyed by Christmas carols and tired of holiday cheer, you will like Festivus, the celebration for the rest of us.