A new study shows how in as little as 15 minutes you can improve your immune function (against fewer colds, flu, warts, and verrucae), overall sleep quality, and depressive symptoms.

According to a new Swansea University study, limiting social media usage by 15 minutes each day may considerably enhance overall health and immunological function, as well as lower symptoms of feelings of isolation and hopelessness.

The research, which was published in the Journal of Technology in Behavior Science, was undertaken by Professor Phil Reed, Tegan Fowkes, and Mariam Khela of the Faculty of Medicine and Health at Swansea University.

Over the course of three months, the team studied the impact on physical health and psychological functioning of a 15-minute daily reduction in social media use.

The results were compared to those of groups that weren’t told to use social media less or who were told to do something else during those 15 minutes.

Participants between the ages of 20 and 25 (33 females and 17 males) answered monthly questions regarding their health and psychological function and gave weekly updates on their social media activity.

The findings revealed that those who were instructed to cut down on social media use saw an average 15% increase in immunological function, including a reduction in colds, flu, warts, and verrucae, a 50% improvement in sleep quality, and a reduction in depressive symptoms by 30%. These changes were a lot bigger than what happened in the other two groups, which didn’t change at all on these measures.

Those who were told to cut back ended up doing so by about 40 minutes a day instead of the 15 minutes asked for, while those who were told to do nothing saw a daily increase of 10 minutes. The group that was pushed to find alternatives to social media actually increased their daily use by around 25 minutes.

While earlier research found a link between less social media use and gains in psychological wellbeing, this current study is significant because it demonstrates an experimentally-controlled association, which supports a causal link between less social media use and better physical health.

According to Professor Phil Reed from Swansea University’s School of Psychology, cutting back on social media use can lead to improvements in various aspects of one’s life, including “physical health and psychological well-being.”

However, it is still unclear whether the connection between social media use and health outcomes is direct or whether it is mediated by changes in variables like depression or an increase in physical activity.

Professor Reed further noted that the fact that the group instructed to reduce their social media usage and engage in alternative activities did not experience the same benefits implies that health campaigns should avoid dictating how people should use their time. People may become resistant to such directives.

Instead, campaigns should present the facts and allow individuals to determine how they want to reduce their social media use without insisting on specific activities as replacements, as “it may not be effective.”

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