Did you know? Modest Facebook use can aid happiness in autistic adults

Washington D.C: According to a study, moderate Facebook use promotes happiness in adults with autism spectrum disorder.

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The researchers propose that that ability to interact with others on Facebook, instead of in more challenging face-to-face interactions may help protect these individuals against mental health issues associated with ASD such as depression.

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This finding could not be generalized to overall use of social media, however, because the same was not true of those who used Twitter, for example.

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In "Social Media Use and Happiness with Autism Spectrum Disorder," coauthors Deborah Ward and Karen Dill-Shackleford, Fielding Graduate University, Santa Barbara, CA and Micah Mazurek, University of Virginia, Charlottesville found that while happiness and Facebook use increased together up to a certain point, the beneficial effect of social media use then waned.

"Some studies report that up to 50% of adults with ASD have co-occurring social anxiety disorder. Facebook may provide a safe starting point for training and refinement of conversational skills," said Editor-in-Chief Brenda K. Wiederhold, Interactive Media Institute, San Diego, California and Virtual Reality Medical Institute, Brussels, Belgium.

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"Increased self-confidence in one's abilities may lead to eventual translation of these new skill sets into improved face-to-face interactions."

The study has been published in the journal Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking.(ANI)

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• #youngster
• #adult
• #autistic adults
• #Depression
• #Facebook
• #Autism Spectrum Disorder