Bummed You're Not Married or Pregnant? Facebook Your Way to Happiness Instead

A study found that the social site makes you just as happy as being married or having a baby

These days it might seem like just about everyone around you is getting engaged, married, or having a baby. All of this can be a bit depressing to those who want the same things, but haven't reached that point in their life just yet. It turns out, according to a study done by Carnegie Mellon University, Facebook can make you feel just as happy as you would be if you were getting married or pregnant. Who knew, right? Pretty cool!

The study, which concluded that "friends help friends on Facebook feel better," according to CMU and Facebook researchers, determined that if you want to ditch the bummer mood, all you need to do is hop on the social site. The study was published in the Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication and surveyed 1,910 Facebook users.

"What really makes people feel good is when those they know and care about write personalized posts or comments," the study noted. In other words, in order to get your happy on, it's going to take a bit more effort than liking a few posts and casually browsing. Thoughtful posts written by loved ones are what matter the most when it comes to helping a friend in need of some cheering up. The next time you're tempted to like your pals post and move on, consider leaving a small comment as well. "This can be a comment that's just a sentence or two. The important thing is that someone such as a close friend takes the time to personalize it. The content may be uplifting, and the mere act of communication reminds recipients of the meaningful relationships in their lives," Moira Burke, a research scientist at Facebook, said. 

You may have heard in the past, that social sites like Facebook make users more depressed. This study questions that idea, with Burke adding, "This suggests that people who are feeling down may indeed spend more time on social media, but they choose to do so because they've learned it makes them feel better. They're reminded of the people they care about in their lives." Sounds about right to us! Who doesn't like getting a bunch of considerate comments each day?