Psychopathological Processes Involved in Social Comparison, Depression, and Envy on Facebook

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Social Media Research
• Human-Computer Interaction

Background:

• Growing body of literature investigates psychological consequences of Facebook usage.
• Research explores relationship closeness, contentment, envy, and exposure to positive content.
• Focus on envy's moderating role in Facebook use and affective well-being.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the detrimental consequences of viewing others' positively presented material on Facebook.
• To understand the role of social comparison and envy in psychological well-being.
• To explore how content substance, user attributes, and relationship ties influence emotional outcomes.

Main Methods:

• Synthesis of extant literature on Facebook use and psychological outcomes.
• Analysis of factors influencing emotional contagion and mood contagion.
• Examination of the link between self-confidence, dispositional envy, and Facebook envy.

Main Results:

• Viewing positive Facebook content can induce contentment via emotional contagion.
• Negative content may cause discomfort through mood contagion, amplified by strong ties.
• Self-confidence and dispositional envy are key predictors of Facebook envy.

Conclusions:

• Facebook use's emotional outcomes are influenced by content, user traits, and relationship strength.
• Envy significantly moderates the relationship between Facebook use and reduced affective well-being.
• Future research should explore belongingness needs and their impact on self-perception.