Social media can ruin your mood

Spending just two minutes on social media can ruin a person’s mood.

Scientists have discovered that scrolling through bad news stories about coronavirus on Twitter and YouTube is enough to send happiness levels plummeting.

Psychologists from the University of Essex conducted two studies to find out how long it takes for a person’s mood to drop after exposure to negative information. They revealed that the consumption of bad news is more likely to put people in a worse frame of mind.

Dr Kathryn Buchanan, who led the study, said: “We wanted to test how quickly the negative impact was felt.

“If even a mere few minutes of exposure to bad COVID-related news can result in immediate reductions to wellbeing, then extended and repeated exposure may, over time, add up to significant mental health consequences.

“Our findings suggest the importance of being mindful of one’s own news consumption, especially on social media.”