5 Topic Commentaries

Social media–depression link put to test

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  Hans Charles Breiter, PhD, MD

  Biomedical Engineering

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  University of Cincinnati

  Mental health and happiness are about engaging the world and having purpose, not passively watching something for hours.

  Source
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  Alexey Makarin, PhD

  Applied Economics

  •

  Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Sloan School of Management

  There is a lack of true causal evidence.

  Source
• 

  Melissa G. Hunt, PhD

  Clinical Psychology

  •

  University of Pennsylvania

  Using less social media than you normally would leads to significant decreases in both depression and loneliness.

  Source
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  Jason M. Nagata, MD, MSc

  Pediatrics

  •

  University of California, San Francisco (UCSF)

  These findings provide evidence that social media may be contributing to the development of depressive symptoms.

  Source
• 

  Stephen L. Buka, ScD

  Epidemiology

  •

  Brown University School of Public Health

  This as close as you can get to answering the question: Do adverse experiences [on Facebook] cause depression?

  Source