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Credit: Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers
New Rochelle, NY, May 3, 2017--A new study examined how social media cues such as the Facebook logo may affect frequent and less frequent social media users differently, sparking spontaneous hedonic reactions that make it difficult to resist social media cravings. The intriguing results are reported 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 until June 5, 2017.
In the article entitled "Spontaneous Hedonic Reactions to Social Media Cues," Guido van Koningsbruggen and Tilo Hartmann, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, Allison Eden, Michigan State University, and Harm Veling, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands, describe two studies. In the first study, participants rated a series of images as pleasant or unpleasant after an initial exposure to either the Facebook logo or a neutral cue. The researchers expected frequent social media users to react more positively to the images that followed the Facebook logo, whereas they did not expect the cue to affect the responses of the less frequent users. The second study replicated the first and added another dimension -- measuring Facebook cravings among the participants, defined as a strong desire to use social media or a preoccupation with social media.
If spontaneous reactions to social media cues can trigger cravings for social media use, then together these could contribute to the difficulty people might face resisting these temptations.
"Findings in this study seem to be in line with previous research on cues and cravings in foods (such as chocolate) and substances (such as nicotine)," says Editor-in-Chief Brenda K. Wiederhold, PhD, MBA, BCB, BCN, Interactive Media Institute, San Diego, California and Virtual Reality Medical Institute, Brussels, Belgium. "Understanding hedonic reactions, both psychological and physiological, to social media cues can help us to develop more effective treatment and prevention protocols."
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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. 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.
Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. 140 Huguenot St., New Rochelle, NY 10801-5215 http://www.liebertpub.com Phone: (914) 740-2100 (800) M-LIEBERT Fax: (914) 740-2101