There have been many studies done suggesting that the prolonged use of social media causes depression. One of the many reasons is that users tend to have FOMO - the fear of missing out. The latest study, published by the Public Library of Science, conducted by Ethan Kross of the University of Michigan and Philippe Verduyn of Leuven University in Belgium, suggests that the more someone uses Facebook, the less satisfied they are with their life.

In the past, other studies have also suggested that using Facebook is associated with jealousy, social tension, isolation and depression. These studies have been "cross-sectional" - snapshots in time and they risk confusing the correlation with causation.

The study conducted by Dr Kross and Dr Verduyn is the first to follow Facebook users for an extended period, to track how their emotions change.

They recruited 82 Facebookers for their study and they are in their late teens or early 20s and were observed for two weeks and reported their state of mind frequently. These reports were prompted by text messages, sent between 10am and midnight, asking them to complete a short questionnaire.

Researchers found that the more a volunteer used Facebook in the period between two questionnaires, the worse he reported feeling the next time he filled in a questionnaire. Those who used Facebook a lot were more likely to report a decline in satisfaction than those who visited the site infrequently.

There was a also a positive association between the amount of direct social contact a volunteer had and how positive he felt in contrast. The more volunteers socialized in the real world, the more positive they reported feeling the next time they filled in a questionnaire.

So perhaps the one thing we can take away from this? Spend just as much time socializing in the real world as you do online. It is for your sanity!