Posting Life Experiences on Social Media Makes You Happier

It's no secret the world today is addicted to their phones. People are constantly taking pictures or videos of what they're eating, doing, or experiencing that very moment. Then that experience is shared on our social media platforms. I'm guilty of this. I went to the Downtown Market today and Snapchatted different moments.

Some may think that we need to stop living behind our cell phones and just live in the moment... phone-free. That may be true in some cases but according to an article in TIME, new research has found that documenting these life moments actually makes you happier.

Researchers conducted nine different experiments of people doing different activities, (some with their phones and some without) such as going to the museum, sight-seeing or having a meal, and they found that people who took pictures of these experiences enjoyed it MORE rather than less.

“What we find is you actually look at the world slightly differently, because you’re looking for things you want to capture, that you may want to hang onto,” Diehl explains. “That gets people more engaged in the experience, and they tend to enjoy it more.”

In addition, taking a picture heightens the pleasure of whatever it is you're looking at or doing. This is true. That's exactly how I felt when I took a picture of my sushi today.

Christine George Snapchat [Townsquare Media][/caption] 

Great news for all the Snapchatters and Instagramers out there! Keep snapping away! However, if you'd rather go phone-free a mental image works the same way as actually taking the picture. The research found that it wasn't the physical process of taking the picture that made people happier, but rather the thought of taking it.

Regardless, the next time someone makes fun of you for taking a picture of your meal or the bird outside of your window, tell them you're just trying to enjoy life :)