Facebook Study Finds Facebook is a Habit-Forming Activity

Posted on April 2, 2012

Leif Denti, doctoral student of psychology at the University of Gothenburg, has conducted Sweden's larget Facebook study ever. The researchers found Facebook is a habit-forming activity that can develop into an addiction. The study also found that women are more active than men on Facebook. Facebook is also used more by people with a low income and low education.

One quarter of people using Facebook use it to brag. One third of men use it to provoke others.

Here are some more highlights from the Facebook study:

• The average user spends 75 minutes per day on Facebook
• The average user logs on to Facebook 6.1 times per day
• 70% log in every time they start their computer or web reader
• 26% feel ill at ease if they do not get to log in regularly
• Women spend on average 81 minutes per day on Facebook
• Men spend on average 64 minutes per day on Facebook
• Facebooking is primarily a habit among young users
• Older Facebook users use Facebook to get to know more people
• 67% of young users use Facebook to kill time
• 38% share negative information in their status updates
• Women write more about emotions and relationships
• One third of the men try to provoke others on Facebook, which is twice the figure for women
• More than 50% of the users broadcast information and knowledge via Facebook
• Women who use Facebook more are also report feeling less happy and less content with their lives
• One quarter of the respondents brag on Facebook

The study was based on data collected from more than 1000 Swedish 18-73 year olds from June to September 2011 via a web-based questionnaire.