Classic fish

College students who spend most of their time on Facebook are more likely to feel jealous toward their romantic partners, which later traps them into a vicious cycle of envy, according to a study.

Such a tendency leads students to spend more time on Facebook as they search for additional information that will further fuel their jealousy, in an escalating cycle that may become addictive.

Researchers at the University of Guelph (Ontario, Canada) surveyed young adults involved in romantic relationships.

They found that those who spent time on social networking sites, such as Facebook, may be exposed to information about their partners that makes them jealous, leading them to spend more time involved in online surveillance and to uncover even more jealousy-provoking information.

The study has described a vicious cycle in which Facebook use and feelings of jealousy become intertwined, and have a negative influence on behaviour and relationships.

Some participants in the study described their increasing use of Facebook as “addictive”.

The authors have recommended further research to explore this feedback loop and to determine whether a similar relationship between online social networking and jealousy toward a partner affects older adults as well.

This entry was posted on Thursday, August 27th, 2009 at 6:41 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.