Facebookers, be happy!

Are you an avid Facebooker who is fed up of studies which harp that Facebook leads to stress, break-ups, adultery, self-obsession and many other negative effects? This new study will make you feel good

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Are you an avid Facebooker who is fed up of studies which harp that Facebook leads to stress, break-ups, adultery, self-obsession and many other negative effects? This new study will make you feel good: it says that Facebook profiles are self-affirming, and that after getting your ego bruised, in even a small way, you can get a boost of confidence by checking out your online profile.

"The conventional wisdom is that Facebook use is a time sink and leads to negative consequences," says lead researchers Jeff Hancock, a professor of Communication at Cornell University. "But our research shows that it can be a psychologically meaningful activity that supplies a sense of well-being at a relatively deep level. The extraordinary amount of time people spend on Facebook may be a reflection of its ability to satisfy ego needs that are fundamental to the human condition," he adds. Furthermore, he says that browsing Facebook could help social network users to "restore deep-seated notions of themselves as a good person loved by a network of friends and family."