Neuroscience
A lot of nonsense is written about the psychological effects of technology, and the Internet in particular. All that time staring at screens must reduce good ol' fashioned face-to-face contact, the scare-mongers say. A new study takes a different view. Levi Baker and Debra Oswald at Marquette University argue that "computer-mediated communication" could be just what shy people need.
Through sites like Facebook, shy people have more control over how they present themselves, the psychologists argue, and shared interests for discussion are immediately obvious - something shy people can struggle to identify in the flesh. There are also no non-verbal cues to be misinterpreted (past research shows that shy people tend to interpret such cues in an overly negative way). To test whether shy people really do benefit from Internet use, Baker and Oswald surveyed 207 undergrads (138 girls) about their shyness, Facebook usage and the quality of their friendships.
The encouraging finding was that among the more shy students, greater use of Facebook was associated with feeling closer to and more satisfied with friends (although this didn't apply to face-to-face friends who weren't on Facebook). Shy students who used Facebook more also had a greater sense of social support. In contrast, for non-shy students, Facebook usage wasn't associated with perceptions of friendship quality.
'Our findings refute warnings that computer-mediated communication use might cause shy individuals to become even more socially withdrawn and isolated,' the researchers said. 'The current data clearly demonstrate that shy individuals' use of Facebook is associated with better quality friendships.'
There are two related caveats. Regrettably, as with so much psychology research, this was a cross-sectional study, so it's unable to make any claims about whether Facebook usage actually causes friendship benefits for shy students. Also, shy students who were heavier users of Facebook reported the same levels of loneliness as their shy peers who didn't use the service so much. There are many possible reasons for this - for example, despite their superior online-supported friendships, perhaps they still struggled with purely face-to-face relationships. Baker and Oswald are more optimistic. They think that if their data had been collected over time, it would likely have shown that greater Facebook use led to reduced loneliness. 'Clearly future work needs to identify how, and under what conditions, online communication facilitates off-line communication among shy individuals,' they said.
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Baker, L., and Oswald, D. (2010). Shyness and online social networking services. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 27 (7), 873-889 DOI: 10.1177/0265407510375261
Post written by Christian Jarrett (@psych_writer) for the BPS Research Digest.
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Neuroscience
Shy students who use Facebook have better quality friendships
Through sites like Facebook, shy people have more control over how they present themselves, the psychologists argue, and shared interests for discussion are immediately obvious - something shy people can struggle to identify in the flesh. There are also no non-verbal cues to be misinterpreted (past research shows that shy people tend to interpret such cues in an overly negative way). To test whether shy people really do benefit from Internet use, Baker and Oswald surveyed 207 undergrads (138 girls) about their shyness, Facebook usage and the quality of their friendships.
The encouraging finding was that among the more shy students, greater use of Facebook was associated with feeling closer to and more satisfied with friends (although this didn't apply to face-to-face friends who weren't on Facebook). Shy students who used Facebook more also had a greater sense of social support. In contrast, for non-shy students, Facebook usage wasn't associated with perceptions of friendship quality.
'Our findings refute warnings that computer-mediated communication use might cause shy individuals to become even more socially withdrawn and isolated,' the researchers said. 'The current data clearly demonstrate that shy individuals' use of Facebook is associated with better quality friendships.'
There are two related caveats. Regrettably, as with so much psychology research, this was a cross-sectional study, so it's unable to make any claims about whether Facebook usage actually causes friendship benefits for shy students. Also, shy students who were heavier users of Facebook reported the same levels of loneliness as their shy peers who didn't use the service so much. There are many possible reasons for this - for example, despite their superior online-supported friendships, perhaps they still struggled with purely face-to-face relationships. Baker and Oswald are more optimistic. They think that if their data had been collected over time, it would likely have shown that greater Facebook use led to reduced loneliness. 'Clearly future work needs to identify how, and under what conditions, online communication facilitates off-line communication among shy individuals,' they said.
_________________________________
Baker, L., and Oswald, D. (2010). Shyness and online social networking services. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 27 (7), 873-889 DOI: 10.1177/0265407510375261Post written by Christian Jarrett (@psych_writer) for the BPS Research Digest.
- How Social Anxiety Manifests On Facebook
For many shy people, online social networking sites have an obvious appeal – a way to socialise without the unpredictable immediacy of a face-to-face encounter. However, a new study finds that people who are socially anxious betray their awkwardness...
- The Psychology Of Facebook, Digested
With over a billion users, Facebook is changing the social life of our species. Cultural commentators ponder the effects. Is it bringing us together or tearing us apart? Psychologists have responded too - Google Scholar lists more than 27,000 references...
- These Are The Unwritten Rules Of Facebook
With over a billion users worldwide, Facebook has become a fundamental part of social life. Much as there are long-standing unwritten rules governing the way we behave toward each other face-to-face, today there also exist cultural expectations for how...
- Facebook Or Twitter: What Does Your Choice Of Social Networking Site Say About You?
Social networking sites have changed our lives. There were 500 million active Facebook users in 2011 and approximately 200 million Twitter accounts. As users will know, the sites have important differences. Facebook places more of an emphasis on...
- People Judged As Likable In The Flesh Also Make Good First Impressions Online
First impressions used to be all about the first time two people came face to face. These days, first impressions are as likely to be formed via perusal of a person's website or Facebook page, as they are to be formed from actually meeting them. Now...