Scrolling Social Media Triggers Unique Physiological Responses

A new study reveals that using social media induces distinctive physiological effects, including slowed heart rate and increased sweating, suggesting deep mental absorption.

Scrolling social media triggers unique physiological responses. Image credit: tasnimnews.com

The findings also indicate heightened stress and anxiety when users disconnect, raising questions about social media’s psychological impact.

The recent study has uncovered how social media usage affects the body, showing a unique physiological response when users are deeply engaged with platforms like Instagram.

Researchers monitored 54 young adults as they browsed Instagram for 15 minutes, attaching electrodes to measure their heart rate and skin conductance, an indicator of sweating.

The results showed a significant slowing of heart rate while sweating increased, a pattern typically associated with full mental immersion in a highly engaging or emotional stimulus.

To compare, participants first read a news article on their phones before using Instagram.

The control condition confirmed that this physiological response was not simply due to phone use or reading—it was specific to social media.

The study's most striking finding occurred when participants were asked to stop scrolling and return to reading a news article. Instead of calming down, their sweating response intensified, and heart rate increased, suggesting a heightened state of stress.

Researchers linked these effects to participants' self-reported emotions. When asked to log off, they described feeling stressed, anxious, and even experiencing cravings for social media.

These findings suggest that disconnecting from social platforms may trigger withdrawal-like symptoms, raising concerns about the potentially addictive nature of social media engagement. (Tasnim News Agency)

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