Facebook may cause bad credit and obesity among frequent users

Large amounts of Facebook use may be related to high credit card debt and weight gain, according to CreditCards.com, citing a study by marketing professors Keith Wilcox of Columbia Business School and Andrew T. Stephen from the University of Pittsburgh.

Due to a boost of self-esteem experienced by intense social media users, self-control goes down and the users make more purchases.

Social media users with stronger ties to their networks had lower credit scores and more debt than less frequent users.

Users with stronger social ties to their networks were also more likely to be overweight.

While Stephen admitted that the study does not prove social networking is a direct cause of higher debt and obesity, he does believe the information in the study can help people understand the possible negative effects of using social networks.

The study was conducted through five surveys of hundreds of people.

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