Ai Yuetong, von Mühlenen Adrian
Department of Psychology, University of Warwick, Coventry, CV4 7AL, UK.
Sci Rep. 2025 Jul 22;15(1):26642. doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-10810-8.
Social media has become the mainstream communication platform, offering unprecedented convenience, but its anonymity can also encourage negative interactions. This study investigates how negative comments on social media affect adults' anxiety and mood. In an experimental study involving 128 adult participants (85 female, 43 male), individuals were asked to share blog posts on a simulated internet forum. Subsequently, they were exposed to either negative, neutral, or positive comments, and their mood and anxiety levels were measured using validated scales. Results showed that negative comments significantly increased anxiety and decreased mood compared to neutral or positive comments, while gender did not show any significant effects. Younger adults reported stronger anxiety responses to negative comments than older adults, suggesting heightened sensitivity among younger users. These findings highlight the psychological impact of negative social media comments on adults and underscore the importance of strategies for managing online negativity. This research expands our understanding of social media's effects on adult mental health.
社交媒体已成为主流通信平台，提供了前所未有的便利，但它的匿名性也可能助长负面互动。本研究调查了社交媒体上的负面评论如何影响成年人的焦虑和情绪。在一项涉及128名成年参与者（85名女性，43名男性）的实验研究中，要求参与者在一个模拟互联网论坛上分享博客文章。随后，他们接触到负面、中性或正面评论，并使用经过验证的量表测量他们的情绪和焦虑水平。结果表明，与中性或正面评论相比，负面评论显著增加了焦虑并降低了情绪，而性别未显示出任何显著影响。较年轻的成年人报告称，他们对负面评论的焦虑反应比年长成年人更强，这表明年轻用户的敏感性更高。这些发现凸显了社交媒体负面评论对成年人的心理影响，并强调了管理网络负面信息策略的重要性。这项研究扩展了我们对社交媒体对成人心心理健康影响的理解。
