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Paradoxically, the researchers found that spending a lot of time on Facebook correlated with both high levels of feeling connected to other people and with high levels of disconnection.

"It's almost like an addiction that doesn't solve the thing that you're trying to cope with."

People who are lonely and disconnected spend time on Facebook to cope with their loneliness. But people who aren't lonely also spend time on Facebook, and for them the site helps maintain social connections, leading them to spend even more time there.

the students who felt particularly lonely and disconnected after their time away from Facebook reported sharply increased use of the site when they were allowed back on — presumably because the loneliness was motivating them to spend more time there.

we gain some psychological benefit even from passively viewing our own profiles.

students who were asked to look at their own Facebook page for just three minutes showed a boost in self-esteem

reinforces the version of ourselves who we want to be and can have a positive effect on our self-esteem.

people who updated their Facebook status frequently, tagged themselves often in photos and had many Facebook friends — including people whom they didn't know in real life — scored higher on a narcissistic personality inventory than people who used the site more judiciously.

can be useful because it can allow people to access information that they wouldn't otherwise know — such as a new job opportunity or a news story they might have missed.

"The concept is here to stay, because it is driven by human needs,"