Tweeting Makes You Happy?

• 

Can Tweeting Make You Happy As You Tweet?

The other night I had a little meltdown. You know I’ve had a lot going on offline. Once I picked myself up I began to tweet. Tweeting made me feel better. I got to wonder, can tweeting make you happy?  I started to feel happy once connecting with friends via Twitter. Is it any different than connecting with other friends via the telephone, text or via email? What was it about tweeting? 76,000 tweets later you’d think I would know. What I do know is that Twitter can distract you from feeling sad or lonely. Many times I’ve eaten lunch alone but I don’t feel alone as I’m tweeting away with friends near and far.

5 Ways Twitter Can Make You Happy

1.  
   1.  
      1. Connecting With Others. People are happier when they have strong social bonds. This doesn’t mean just tweeting with others. Being with people tops all social connections. Tweeting does give you connections to others when your offline friends / family are not around.
      2. Helping Others. Many times you can help others on Twitter. You may find friends asking questions or others seeking help on topics that you can help them with. It feels good to help others when you can. Be careful not to overextend yourself with this one!
      3. Making New Friends. Friendships are the bonds in life that can make us happy. Be sure to pick happy friends and not ones that will drag you down. Check out someone’s tweets before you begin to follow them. If they are always being negative be weary!
      4. Losing Track of Time. – Happy people don’t know what time it is most of the time. They are so busy doing things and enjoying life that they don’t keep track of time. I find myself lost in time while on Twitter.
      5. Having a Good Laugh. Happier people laugh more. Why not follow some funny people on Twitter ? You will surely laugh and smile when you read their tweets.

@GarrettmNelson @LaughNYC goodbye Jack Frost!!! pic.twitter.com/5kTHOu7inP // funny! — Paul Corrigan (@LaughNYC) March 8, 2014

Twitter Can Tell When We Are Happy

Twitter can tell via their tweets data the days we are the happiest or not on Twitter. You can check out the stats on Mashable’s latest story on it.  It’s surprising to see that Friday and Saturdays in March people are the happiest. You would think summer days would be the happiest for most people. The saddest days seemed to be more frequent in December. Not only is it getting colder and darker but those stressful holidays are upon us as well.

Zappos CEO Found Twitter Can Make You a Better and Happier Person

Back in 2009 the CEO of Zappos, Tony H, did a blog post on how Twitter made him a better and happier person. He actually thanked Twitter for helping him grow as a person in his post. Tony claims:

A lot of people use Twitter to complain or vent, but I generally try to avoid doing so because it’s not in line with our core values. What I’ve noticed is that it’s also caused me to complain a lot less in real life, and because of that, I’ve found that my own personal happiness level has gone up.”

TWEET THIS: A lot of people use Twitter to complain or vent, but I generally try to avoid doing so and I’ve noticed in real life I complain a lot less via @Lisapatb

But Does Using Facebook Make Us Sad?

With over a billion people on Facebook it is changing the way we all interact with one another. Over 1/2 of the billion people log in every day to Facebook. Research was done by Plos One with 82 people in the Michigan area. Participants were given $20 and a chance to win an iPad. They need to have a Facebook account and a smartphone with a touch screen to participate. They had to answer a questionnaire and then were text messaged 5 times per day for 14 days. They had to answer 5 questions like how they felt right now, etc. The more they used Facebook the worse they felt.

Last they were returned to a lab for questioning. 3 participants did not complete the entire study. The participants were also asked how they felt after interacting with people directly vs. on Facebook. It was found that people who had direct interaction with others over time felt better. These analyses also indicated that Facebook use predicts declines in the two components of subjective well-being: how people feel moment to moment and how satisfied they are with their lives. A number of other studies indicate that whether interacting with the internet predicts changes in well-being depends on how you use it (i.e., what sites you visit) and who you interact with.

So What Is The Difference Between the 2 Social Networks?

Could it be people log into Facebook when they feel bad? Is it the jealousy factor? Everyone seems to be having the time of their lives on Facebook. Everyone looks thinner, happier and having a good time. It can make your life look downright boring. Twitter on the other hand is a quicker paced social network. You can choose more people to interact with, you don’t need to be friends with them. You can make new friends with similar likes and interests. You can seek out happier people to interact with. On Facebook it’s your family and friends you know, you must be friended first or if you wish you could follow some people. You will then see their posts in your newsfeed. Some will allow you to comments and others will not. I think the difference is that Facebook is more passive. What are your thoughts on the differences between Twitter and Facebook on your happiness?

How does tweeting make you feel? Can tweeting make you happy too? 

Does Facebook ever make you sad?

      Lady Image courtesy of Gualberto107 / FreeDigitalPhotos.net