Are There Mental Health Benefits to Joining Facebook Groups?

Posted on December 2, 2014 Updated on December 2, 2014

Small and large companies aren’t the only ones that bank on the convenience of the Internet. Obviously some of us who refuse to camp out in front of Target, Wal-Mart, Best Buy, and any other stores opt to spend our money online to avoid the crowds. But as Cyber Monday has come to a close, some of us enjoy the comfort and convenience of the Internet for other reasons.

Everyone has a bad day, but some of us struggle with the lack of that “happy” gene more than others. According to a Huffington Post article by Michael Sigmen, approximately half of our happiness is linked to our genetic make up. How close are you to genetic happiness?

Wow, half is quite a chunk of our happiness pie, leaving the leftovers to be fractioned off to environment, circumstances and/or traumatic life events. If depression is more than a chemical imbalance and is actually deeply ingrained in our DNA, then what can we actually do about it?

The Internet is used for a number of reasons, only some of which have to do with viral marketing. Social media sites allow for individuals as well as organizations to connect with people from all over the world and share their individual brand. But behavior on these sites can run unchecked, which have literally given both social media and the Internet a bad rap. Lyrics posted on Facebook threatening to not only kill his wife but also kindergarten kids landed wannabe rap artist Anthony Elonis in jail for 44 months. Privacy, freedom of speech, an increase in social isolation, and a host of other number of issues arise when discussing social media and the potential negative ramifications. Read the rest of this entry »