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Social Media May Help Mental Health Of Adults

BOSTON (CBS) - Young people are often warned that too much social media use could lead to mental health problems, like depression, but a new study finds that networking sites may do just the opposite for adults.

A professor at Michigan State University says that prior studies have focused on teens and college students who naturally experience greater psychological distress. In this study he analyzed data on thousands of adults from 2015 and 2016. He found that the social media users were 63-percent less likely to experience serious psychological distress, like depression and anxiety, than those who did not use those networking sites.

The thought is that social medial makes it easier for adults to stay in touch with extended family and friends and allow greater access to health information.

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