Looking at old photographs of yourself on Facebook can boost your mood - and be as soothing as a walk in the park, a new study found.
Looking at old photographs of yourself on Facebook can boost your mood - and be as soothing as a walk in the park, a new study found.
Researchers found users typically post positive pictures and status updates on the social networking site.
And looking back over these snaps and wall posts when upset or depressed reminds us of happier times.
Almost 90 percent of users access the site to look at their own wall posts, and three quarters do this when they are 'feeling low'.
Dr Alice Good, from the University of Portsmouth's School of Computing, found this 'self-soothing' use of Facebook is beneficial to our mood.
The more prone somebody is to depression, the more effective this browsing is, the study found.
The findings contradict previous research, which suggested looking at Facebook can be bad for your mental health.
Dr Good said: 'We were very surprised by these findings, which contradict some recent reports.
'The results indicate we could use self-soothing as a form of treatment for low moods.
'Although this was only a small study, we will go on to study larger groups to see if the results remain consistent.'
Dr Good questioned 144 Facebook users and found they often use the site to reminisce, using old photos and wall posts as a form of comfort.
The group had an average age of 34 and had slightly more men than women. Of these, 39 percent had a history of mental health problems.
A staggering 86 percent of participants visit Facebook more than once a day, with 75 percent looking at photos and 86 percent wall posts each time.
These were the most popular activities, and also those that made them happiest.
Psychologist Dr Clare Wilson, also from the University of Portsmouth, said: ''Facebook is marketed as a means of communicating with others, but this research shows we are more likely to use it to connect with our past selves, perhaps when our present selves need reassuring.''
最新研究显示，浏览Facebook上的旧照片可以使情绪振奋，就如同在公园散步一样让人感到慰藉。
研究人员发现，用户在社交网站Facebook上会发布积极向上的照片和状态更新。
当人们感到心烦或沮丧的时候，回顾这些照片和发言能让人们想起更快乐的时光。
近90%的用户会登录Facebook浏览自己的发言，三成用户在“感到情绪低落”时这样做。
朴茨茅斯大学计算学院的爱丽丝-古德博士发现，使用Facebook所产生的这种“自我慰藉”对情绪有利。
研究发现，这种浏览对更容易沮丧的人来说效果更好。
这项研究结果与之前的研究相矛盾。此前一项研究标明，浏览Facebook对心理健康不利。
古德博士说：“我们对研究结果感到惊讶，这与最近的一些报道相悖。”
“研究结果标明，我们可以使用自我慰藉来治疗情绪低落。”
“尽管这只是一项小小的研究，但我们将继续针对更多群体展开研究，验证结果是否一致。”
古德博士调查了144位Facebook用户，发现他们经常使用该网站进行回忆，浏览旧照片和发言来安慰自己。
受调查者平均34岁，男性略多于女性。其中39%的人曾出现心理健康问题。
高达86%的受访者每天不止一次登录Facebook，其中75%的受访者每次都浏览照片，86%的受访者每次都浏览发言。
这些是最受欢迎的登录行为，也会让用户最开心。
朴茨茅斯大学心理学博士克莱尔-威尔森说：“Facebook作为一种与他人的沟通工具推向市场，但该研究标明，也许当我们现在的自己需要安慰时，我们更喜欢使用Facebook与过去的自己联系。”