Psychologist Thijs Launspach is a psychologist and stress expert and the author of the book Breeding pressure† He marvels at modern working and gives tips every week for more happiness and less stress at work. Today: poison for your head.
“Yes, hello, Mr. Psychologist, a little easy to talk to, isn’t it? Being critical of social media, and then just sitting on it yourself. Isn’t that a bit hypocritical?” A sharp response email to an interview in this newspaper in which I called social media ‘poison to your head’.
Fair question, I thought. Because yes, I think social media is poison for the head. When you look at the research literature, you can’t really ignore that conclusion. Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and TikTok are extremely addictive, claiming hours of our time every day. It makes us more insecure, more agitated, more dissatisfied and lonely. Meanwhile, these mega-companies happily sell our data to advertisers: as ‘users’ we are not the customer, but the product that is being sold. Even the name is a clever piece of propaganda: these media are by no means ‘social’. The more time you spend on it, the more it will affect your communication skills.
Without social media I put myself behind needlessly
And yes, it’s true: I’m on it too, albeit reluctantly. I am in a position of ‘must’, to do my job. As an author, I need to put myself in the spotlight, and a lot of my audience is on those platforms. No, there is no one to put the knife to my throat. But if I decide not to participate at all, I put myself needlessly behind.
Getting rid of it completely would be best in principle. But even if you feel compelled to buy an ‘online presence‘, there are things you can do to limit the negative impact of social media on your mental health. For example, I am very selective in which platforms are and which are not. Facebook and Tiktok and Twitter and Insta: it is not all necessary.
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Setting a maximum of 30 minutes of social time already saves a sip on a drink
And by using the platforms mainly on my computer, and as little as possible on my phone; the mobile version of the apps have some extra addictive features that I get around. Finally, I drastically limit the time I spend on the platforms. Setting a maximum of 30 minutes of social time already saves a sip on a drink. All ways to use the benefits, but minimize the toxicity.
I think that’s the trick: using those platforms without them taking over your head. So for the time being I’ll stick with it, though it is reluctantly; I can, as long as I use those platforms more than they use me.
Thijs Launspach is a psychologist and stress expert. He is the author of, among others: You’re Enough Already – Mentally Healthy in a Crazy World (2022), Work can also be done (2020) and Breeding pressure (2018).
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