Stress shared by others on social media can be ‘contagious’

When social media tells you the problems that your friends and family face, that stress can be “contagious” and may also cause you stress, researchers found out. A report by the Pew Research Center and Rutgers University researchers said data did not support the notion that people become stressed from keeping up with social media networks like Facebook and Twitter, but “learning about and being reminded of undesirable events in other people’s lives makes people feel more stress themselves.” Researchers called it “the cost of caring.”

Read the report on Rappler.