Can Facebook make you fat, gluttonous and plunge you into debt?
“We have demonstrated that using today’s most popular social network, Facebook, may have a detrimental effect on people’s self-control.”
So says Dr. Andrew Stephen, of the University of Pittsburgh, who, along with Dr. Keith Wilcox of Columbia University conducted a study with more than 1,000 Facebook users that demonstrated that social networking platforms could lead certain users to exhibit a loss of self-control. The results, say the researchers, “suggest that greater social network use is associated with a higher body-mass index, increased binge eating, a lower credit score, and higher levels of credit-card debt for individuals with strong ties to their social network.”
Hmmm. Well, I don’t know about you, but I’ve been on Facebook for the last five minutes and suddenly I’m in the mood to stop working out forever, scarf a box — no make that three boxes! — of chocolate chip — no, make that double chocolate chip! — cookies, and use every credit card I have to buy these incredibly expensive 4K OLED TVs from Samsung, LG and Sony! Oh yeah, they also said that Facebook users were “more likely to lose concentration and give up on puzzles,” reports the UK’s Daily Mail. Well, I might as well give up on ever solving that Rubik’s Cube now.
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