We’ve all seen the headlines linking social media to a worse mood, yet this can be confusing. After all, we often turn to social media to feel more connected, so why do surveys suggest that overall, it lowers our life satisfaction? A key reason popular social media platforms give more misery than joy is because of their addictive properties. We may open apps, scroll, search, and like / dislike, without much forethought. Once hooked, we often feel envy as we compare our daily lives with the highlight reels of others. This experience of automatic use and judgment sets the stage for a darker mood, and it’s all because these platforms exploit our innate weaknesses. 
One of the common surprises among social media users is opening apps to scroll even when they did not consciously intend to. 42% say they use social media right after waking and just before bed, creating a routine that is difficult to deviate from. Without clear intentions, we may find ourselves clutching our devices, going through the motions. Studies show that this mindless consumption creates habits. It becomes routine. Instead of making rational choices in our best interest, we create behavior patterns that require little conscious thought and end up on social media throughout the day.
Social media can lead to negative feelings like anger and frustration because it amplifies and promotes moral outrage. The content we see can elicit strong emotions, and while some are pleasant many are not. When we detect moral violations, we are reinforced to express outrage by commenting, sharing, or reacting to posts. A cycle of more outrage results, because our engagement increases the quantity of outrage content on our feeds. Optimized for engagement, social media is designed for maximum reactions, not maximum enjoyment.
Many want to experience more positive emotions, including pleasure, comfort, gratitude, inspiration, and hope. When we are low on energy or time, what options can compete with the accessibility of social media? What can match the convenience of the apps at our fingertips? Part of the lure of social media is an escape from our current concerns, so alternatives must offer a similar low effort and time commitment. 
Substituting calming screen-based activities is a way to swap some of your internet community minutes for mindful practices. This cultivates patterns of attention that offer relaxation, improving stress management. Mindful attention is heightened awareness about our behavior and thoughts. Practicing this technique can help us to pull back from problematic social media use. Much like social media use, online guided mindfulness practices can be short interrupters in the day and can become a habit.
Mindfulness practices help us become more aware of our thoughts. This can help us to notice tendencies toward criticism (and self-criticism.) As mindfulness expert, Jon Kabat-Zinn explains: “When we begin practicing paying attention to the activity of our own mind, it is common to discover and to be surprised by the fact that we are constantly generating judgments about our experience.” By practicing awareness and acceptance, research supports that mindful moments help us break out of old behavior patterns and experience a brighter mood.
In addition to positive states of mind, the emotional advantages of mindfulness ease negative moods. For instance, a meta-analysis found that mindfulness practices can be accessed via smartphones to effectively “reduce negative emotions, depressive symptoms, and anxiety symptoms.” Research shows that mindful practices reduce negative thoughts and become less emotionally reactive when things don’t go to plan.
Specific forms of mindful practices include guided meditation, progressive relaxation, movement breaks, and breathwork, and each improve wellbeing. Based on the positive outcomes and low time commitment, all of these are available to Treo members on-demand. Having these options right at their fingertips helps them find convenient ways of exploring new strategies that improve their daily lives. 
We don’t have to stop scrolling to reap benefits of mindfulness. Instead, think of mindfulness practices as a mood buffer – an idea supported by research that finds a mindful approach to social media makes all the difference in how it impacts our mood.
Guided mindfulness options offer ways to continue to use social apps while protecting one’s wellbeing. Yes, some of your social media time can be swapped for a short, guided sessions. This substitution method, where some scrolling time is swapped for a short mindfulness practice, reduces the body’s stress response. You can even set a timer on your phone to schedule downtime and set limits for your internet community apps. This is a great way to place more focus on short, mindfulness practices throughout the day.
In fact, studies show that these mindfulness swaps are “superior to unstructured screen time” for enhancing full body relaxation. This suggests that mindfulness practices can co-exist peacefully with social media use, because mindfulness can ease our emotional reactivity and offer a calming respite in our busy schedules.
Are you ready to bring Treo to your team? Let’s get in touch – we’ll share with you all the resilience-building resources that bring our members the skills they need to discover their healthier lifestyle. Email info@treowellness.com today or schedule a demo here for more information: Schedule Demo – Treo Wellness
As Treo’s Global Wellness Researcher, Karlie uses recent research findings to support healthier daily habits. Karlie earned her doctorate in Neuroscience and Behavior and bachelors in Health and Exercise Science.
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