Friends of Facebook you stressing?

Have a lot of friends on the social network Facebook can do web users feel stressed, say researchers at the University of Edinburgh Napier.

Research by psychologists at the University revealed that almost a third (32 percent) of social networking experience feelings of guilt and uncomfortable when rejecting friend requests, while 63 percent delay responding to and 10 percent admitted disliking receiving friend requests.

According to Dr Kathy Carlo, who led the research, "the results brought a series of paradoxes."

"For example, although there is great pressure to be on Facebook, there is also considerable ambivalence between users on the benefits," he said.

"Our data suggest that there is a significant minority of users who experience considerable anxiety related with Facebook only very modest prizes or tenuous".

Research has also shown that those with the most contacts from Facebook and those who had invested the most time on the site were the ones most likely to be stressed.

"An overwhelming majority of respondents reported that it was the best thing about Facebook is keeping in touch ', often without any further explanation," said Charles.

"But many also told us that they were concerned to withdraw from the site for fear of important information missing or offend social contacts.

Charles compared the social network gaming, saying: "Facebook keeps users in limbo neurotic, not knowing whether they should hang in there just in case they miss out on something good."

Test of speed of broadband Internet & broadband news

See also: how Facebook it mucks up office life

More PC news and reviews about PC Advisor. Copyright © 2010 story, PC Advisor. All rights reserved.