Facebook Use and the Tendency to Ruminate among College Students: Testing Mediational Hypotheses

Abstract

Studies have found that general use of Facebook influences subjective well-being. However, fewer studies have explored the impact of specific use behaviors, such as information posted in status updates. The current study uses data collected from 251 Facebook-using undergraduate students through an online survey, and examines the valence and frequency of Facebook status updates as predictors of three measures of subjective well-being: life satisfaction, physical health, and depression. Valence and frequency of status updates strongly predict the tendency to ruminate, and rumination mediates the effects of positive and negative status update frequency on subjective well-being. Results support the conclusion that rumination mediates the impact of Facebook status updates on subjective well-being more strongly than Facebook status updates mediate the impact of rumination on subjective well-being.