Stress and Its Impact on Social Media Usage

This study examined the relationship between stress and social media usage, whether stress was an indicator of social media use, and tested moderators of the relationship between stress and social media use. Participants (n？=？201) were randomly assigned to a stress-inducing recall activity or a control task via an online survey. Next, they completed measures of stress, social media usage, social support, and habitual behavior. We found that seeking social support contributed to an increased usage of social media. In addition, increased usage of social media was related to greater frequency and strength of evoking habitual behavior