The Facebook Paths to Happiness: Effects of the Number of Facebook Friends and Self-Presentation on Subjective Well-Being

The current study investigates whether and how Facebook increases college-age users' subjective well-being by focusing on the number of Facebook friends and self-presentation strategies (positive vs. honest). A structural equation modeling analysis of cross-sectional survey data of college student Facebook users (N=391) revealed that the number of Facebook friends had a positive association with subjective well-being, but this association was not mediated by perceived social support. Additionally, we found that there was a negative curvilinear (inverted U-shape curve) relationship between Facebook friends and perceived social support. As for self-presentation strategies, whereas positive self-presentation had a direct effect on subjective well-being, honest self-presentation had a significant indirect effect on subjective well-being through perceived social support. Our study suggests that the number of Facebook friends and positive self-presentation may enhance users' subjective well-being, but this portion of happiness may not be grounded in perceived social support. On the other hand, honest self-presentation may enhance happiness rooted in social support provided by Facebook friends. Implications of our findings are discussed in light of affirmation of self-worth, time and effort required for building and maintaining friendships, and the important role played by self-disclosure in signaling one's need for social support.

[1]  C. Steele The Psychology of Self-Affirmation: Sustaining the Integrity of the Self , 1988 .

[2]  Jason Martin,et al.  Identity construction on Facebook: Digital empowerment in anchored relationships , 2008, Comput. Hum. Behav..

[3]  Vanden Boogart,et al.  UNCOVERING THE SOCIAL IMPACTS OF FACEBOOK ON A COLLEGE CAMPUS , 2006 .

[4]  Cliff Lampe,et al.  The Benefits of Facebook "Friends: " Social Capital and College Students' Use of Online Social Network Sites , 2007, J. Comput. Mediat. Commun..

[5]  Shelley E. Taylor,et al.  Illusion and well-being: a social psychological perspective on mental health. , 1988, Psychological bulletin.

[6]  Ulrike Cress,et al.  Group awareness and self-presentation in computer-supported information exchange , 2008, Int. J. Comput. Support. Collab. Learn..

[7]  B. Buunk,et al.  The Cambridge handbook of personal relationships , 2006 .

[8]  Nicole B. Ellison,et al.  Self-Presentation in Online Personals , 2006, Commun. Res..

[9]  D. Myers The funds, friends, and faith of happy people. , 2000, The American psychologist.

[10]  Catalina L. Toma Affirming the self through online profiles: beneficial effects of social networking sites , 2010, CHI.

[11]  Shelley E. Taylor,et al.  Positive illusions and coping with adversity. , 1996, Journal of personality.

[12]  Michele M. Strano User Descriptions and Interpretations of Self-Presentation through Facebook Profile Images , 2008 .

[13]  S. Lyubomirsky,et al.  A Measure of Subjective Happiness: Preliminary Reliability and Construct Validation , 1999 .

[14]  Sandra L. Calvert,et al.  College students' social networking experiences on Facebook , 2009 .

[15]  Ed Diener,et al.  Response artifacts in the measurement of subjective well-being , 1991 .

[16]  P. Wright,et al.  TOWARD A THEORY OF FRIENDSHIP BASED ON A CONCEPTION OF SELF , 1978 .

[17]  Soonjae Kwon,et al.  Use of Social-Networking Sites and Subjective Well-Being: A Study in South Korea , 2011, Cyberpsychology Behav. Soc. Netw..

[18]  Jason Martin,et al.  Ethno-Racial Identity Displays on Facebook , 2009, J. Comput. Mediat. Commun..

[19]  G A Martini [Adolescence. I. Introduction]. , 1967, Der Internist.

[20]  Esther MacCallum-Stewart,et al.  Real Boys Carry Girly Epics: Normalising Gender Bending in Online Games , 2008, Eludamos: Journal for Computer Game Culture.

[21]  Sheldon Cohen,et al.  Positive Events and Social Supports as Buffers of Life Change Stress , 1983 .

[22]  Jennifer S. Beer,et al.  Positive illusions about the self: short-term benefits and long-term costs. , 2001, Journal of personality and social psychology.

[23]  Elizabeth W. Dunn,et al.  Misunderstanding the affective consequences of everyday social interactions: the hidden benefits of putting one's best face forward. , 2007, Journal of personality and social psychology.

[24]  Nicole B. Ellison,et al.  Managing Impressions Online: Self-Presentation Processes in the Online Dating Environment , 2006, J. Comput. Mediat. Commun..

[25]  L. Tidwell,et al.  Computer-Mediated Communication Effects on Disclosure, Impressions, and Interpersonal Evaluations: Getting to Know One Another a Bit at a Time , 2002 .

[26]  V. Derlega,et al.  The Cambridge Handbook of Personal Relationships: Self-Disclosure in Personal Relationships , 2006 .

[27]  Joseph B. Walther,et al.  Selective self-presentation in computer-mediated communication: Hyperpersonal dimensions of technology, language, and cognition , 2007, Comput. Hum. Behav..

[28]  Kristopher J Preacher,et al.  Asymptotic and resampling strategies for assessing and comparing indirect effects in multiple mediator models , 2008, Behavior research methods.

[29]  Danah Boyd,et al.  Friends, Friendsters, and Top 8: Writing community into being on social network sites , 2006, First Monday.

[30]  L. Carstensen,et al.  Social desirability and the measurement of psychological well-being in elderly persons. , 1983, Journal of gerontology.

[31]  C. Lance Residual Centering, Exploratory and Confirmatory Moderator Analysis, and Decomposition of Effects in Path Models Containing Interactions , 1988 .

[32]  T. Kamarck,et al.  Measuring the Functional Components of Social Support , 1985 .

[33]  Danah Boyd,et al.  Social Network Sites: Definition, History, and Scholarship , 2007, J. Comput. Mediat. Commun..

[34]  P. Bentler,et al.  Comparative fit indexes in structural models. , 1990, Psychological bulletin.

[35]  Brandon Van Der Heide,et al.  Too Much of a Good Thing? The Relationship Between Number of Friends and Interpersonal Impressions on Facebook , 2008, J. Comput. Mediat. Commun..

[36]  Jennifer L. Gibbs,et al.  Perceived Success in Internet Dating Self-Presentation in Online Personals: The Role of Anticipated Future Interaction, Self-Disclosure, and , 2009 .

[37]  Rex B. Kline,et al.  Principles and Practice of Structural Equation Modeling , 1998 .

[38]  Geoffrey L. Cohen,et al.  Accepting Threatening Information: Self–Affirmation and the Reduction of Defensive Biases , 2002 .

[39]  Kenneth A. Bollen,et al.  Overall Fit in Covariance Structure Models: Two Types of Sample Size Effects , 1990 .

[40]  Feng-Yang Kuo,et al.  Can Blogging Enhance Subjective Well-Being Through Self-Disclosure? , 2009, Cyberpsychology Behav. Soc. Netw..

[41]  Patti M. Valkenburg,et al.  Friend Networking Sites and Their Relationship to Adolescents' Well-Being and Social Self-Esteem , 2006, Cyberpsychology Behav. Soc. Netw..

[42]  Ed Diener,et al.  Assessing subjective well-being: Progress and opportunities , 1994 .

[43]  Jeffrey T. Hancock,et al.  Mirror, Mirror on my Facebook Wall: Effects of Exposure to Facebook on Self-Esteem , 2011, Cyberpsychology Behav. Soc. Netw..

[44]  A. L. Edwards The social desirability variable in personality assessment and research , 1958 .

[45]  R. McCrae,et al.  Well-being scales do not measure social desirability. , 1986, Journal of gerontology.

[46]  A. Joinson Self‐disclosure in computer‐mediated communication: The role of self‐awareness and visual anonymity , 2001 .

[47]  Kerk F. Kee,et al.  Is There Social Capital in a Social Network Site?: Facebook Use and College Students’ Life Satisfaction, Trust, and Participation 1 , 2009 .