News Release

What are the health risks of having a different 'Facebook self'?

Peer-Reviewed Publication

Mary Ann Liebert, Inc./Genetic Engineering News

<I>Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking</I>

image: Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking is an authoritative peer-reviewed journal published monthly online with open access options and in print that explores the psychological and social issues surrounding the Internet and interactive technologies. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking is the official journal of the International Association of CyberPsychology, Training & Rehabilitation. Complete tables of contents and a sample issue may be viewed on the Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking website. view more 

Credit: ©Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers

New Rochelle, NY, August 17, 2016--People may express their true self more easily on Facebook than in person, and the more one's "Facebook self" differs from their true self, the greater their stress level and the less socially connected they tend to be, according to a new study published in Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers. The article is available free on the Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking website.

In "The Psychological Benefits of Being Authentic on Facebook," Rachel Grieve and Jarrah Watkinson, University of Tasmania (Hobart, Australia), describe the main goal of their study: to evaluate the psychosocial outcomes related to presenting one's true self on Facebook. The authors assessed Facebook users' true and online personalities, degree of social connectedness, and feelings of psychological wellbeing, depression, anxiety, and stress.

"The current world population is 7.4 billion, and as of the second quarter of 2016, active Facebook users totaled 1.7 billion. As such, we must consider how Facebook may serve as a tool to positively impact our patients' lives," says Editor-in-Chief Brenda K. Wiederhold, PhD, MBA, BCB, BCN, Interactive Media Institute, San Diego, California and Virtual Reality Medical Institute, Brussels, Belgium.

###

About the Journal

Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking is an authoritative peer-reviewed journal published monthly online with open access options and in print that explores the psychological and social issues surrounding the Internet and interactive technologies. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking is the official journal of the International Association of CyberPsychology, Training & Rehabilitation. Complete tables of contents and a sample issue may be viewed on the Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking website.

About the Publisher

Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers is a privately held, fully integrated media company known for establishing authoritative peer-reviewed journals in many promising areas of science and biomedical research, including Games for Health Journal, Telemedicine and e-Health, and Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychopharmacology. Its biotechnology trade magazine, GEN (Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News), was the first in its field and is today the industry's most widely read publication worldwide. A complete list of the firm's 80 journals, books, and newsmagazines is available on the Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers website.


Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.