Tweet Your Heart Out: The Personality Correlates and Affective Consequences of Social Media Use on Close Relationships and Psychological Health

Abstract

Social media is a purported tool to foster and maintain close supportive relationships. However, previous research has established the negative impacts that social media use can have on well-being. The present study explored the connections between mental health and social media use to further address important gaps in understanding the psychological and interpersonal impact it may have. The personality correlates and affective consequences of social media use on close relationship satisfaction and psychological health were examined. Responses from 375 participants on the Big Five Inventory (BFI), UCLA Loneliness Scale, Social Networking Time Use Scale (SONTUS), the Multidimensional Relationship Questionnaire (MRQ), and the Affective Consequences of Social Media Use scale (ACSMU) were analyzed. Results confirmed as social media usage increased, close relationship satisfaction decreased. Findings also indicated a significant positive association between social media use and loneliness. Personality was a significant predictor of self reported levels of social media usage. Less conscientiousness and more neuroticism were indicative of a greater frequency of social media use. Broadly, social media use was significantly associated with negative affective reactions to time spent on social media. Overall, additional research is necessary to explore and replicate the novel findings.