Facts: Tips from the behavioral scientist
1. Minimize the time you spend on social media.
– Decide to be logged in certain times, and the rest of the day you can not.
2. Open up and seek support from people in your vicinity.
– When you feel that it will be too much, log out. Meet friends, talk about how you feel and others will also say “yes, I think so too”.
Stop following people who trigger the negative.
– And follow the people who may not live the most perfect lives all the time, who are more authentic.
4. Build a management strategy that works for you.
– Ask yourself: What do others do to not feel lowered? Who do you know who is a lot on social media but who can handle it? And who can not handle it so well? Then you can find a strategy that is right for you.
5. Does social media affect you in a way that harms your relationships or your work? Then you may need professional help.
– Therapist, psychologist, counselor, someone who can help you figure out what it’s really about and give you strategies for how to deal with it.
Source: Nina Jansdotter.
During the summer holidays, it flows with peach-colored sunsets, perfect bodies and unforgettable adventures on social media, such as Facebook and Instagram.
An individual can follow hundreds of accounts that update content from a seemingly perfect existence. The consequence of this may be that the person unknowingly adds up the happiness and success of all the hundreds of people – as if it were a single one – and experiences that “everyone else” is happy on their holiday “except me”.
– Of course that is not true, says behavioral scientist Nina Jansdotter.
Man’s ancient brain has used comparison as a way of surviving for thousands of years, she explains. At the same time, we are social beings who interact with others and then it is included to keep track of each other.
– But in social media there will be such a massive bombardment and our brain is not really able to sort it out, says Nina Jansdotter.
Feelings of worthlessness
When a person’s outdated brain suffers from sausage stuffing, it can form negative thoughts that make you feel lowered, worse or even useless in comparison with others.
– You can feel a little uncomfortable when you look and feel that I do not have such a wonderful life. In the long run, it can mean anxiety, depression and mental illness for some people.
According to Nina Jansdotter, some people deal with the feeling of uselessness by putting in a higher gear and vice versa.
– It could be that you push yourself to put things out to compete or break someone else, she says and gives an example:
– Some dieters or in other ways try to be as slim as those who may have fitness as their job and can do diets and exercise half the day because that is their thing.
Quick confirmation
The reason for this, despite the fact that scrolling can make us feel bad, lies in how the platforms are built, according to Nina Jansdotter. Social media has hacked the brain’s natural reward system which, upon quick confirmation, secretes dopamine – and gives you a kick.
– Without the kick, you can feel that you are not worth anything. In other relationships, such as in love, at work or in a friendship, more is required before you get attention. There you have to work for confirmation while social media gives you it quickly.
But comparing yourself to others on social media does not always have to be negative.
– It can also spur one, if you feel a little jealous of someone else, you can use that feeling to succeed with yours, says Nina Jansdotter.