Anxiety, Alcohol, and Facebook

Alcohol, anxiety, and Facebook are prominent features upon the modern college landscape. Now, thanks to a master's thesis study by Russell Clayton at Texas State University, there is proof that the three are intertwined. Clayton told Science Daily that both increased anxiety and increased alcohol use "may cause an increase in emotional connectedness to Facebook." Students who report anxiety are more likely to seek interpersonal connection online, rather than in a public setting, which leads to a greater emotional investment in Facebook. Further, because alcohol use is generally seen as socially acceptable among college students, and photos or status updates involving alcohol use are common, this may lead to those with a higher emotional investment in Facebook (e.g. anxious students) to be "more motivated to engage in similar online behaviors in order to fit in socially," reports Clayton. However, "marijuana use is less normative, meaning fewer people post on Facebook about using it," says Clayton. This leads to less emotional attachment to Facebook among marijuana users, than among alcohol users.

Clayton's study was published in the Journal of Computers in Human Behavior. 

Even with almost nine months of sobriety under my belt, I'm still probably a little too obsessed with Facebook. My friend just posted a bunch of pictures of a fawn her mother rescued. Another friend was recently posting videos of two bear cubs and a mama bear outside of her cabin. With stuff like that to look at, how am I supposed to tear myself away?!