“For one experiment in the study, Wilcox and Stephen asked 84 study participants to either browse Facebook or read CNN.com for five minutes. […] The Facebook group was much more likely to go for the cookie, while the CNN group picked the granola bar.” — Does Facebook Praise Kill Self-Control?.
Oh my… That is chilling…
I’ve often thought that Facebook creates a sort of “feedback loop” in our minds. We get a small burst of joy when other people approve of us/our actions, and Facebook is perfectly shaped to give us those little “shots of joy” through the Like system.
Even the red color of notifications, contrasting against Facebook’s blue backdrop, could contribute to this. Red is often thought to correlate with excitement, warmth, and joy.
That said, I don’t know if this one study is, by itself, proof of anything. But paired with other studies, it could reveal trends about how Facebook (and other social networks) affect our behavior.
“Life isn’t about having amazing experiences; It’s about making mediocre experiences look awesome on Facebook” – theoatmeal.com . Nothing is truer than the oatmeal, you know 😉