Facebook Posts Can Reportedly Predict Mental and Physical Health
Your Posts on Facebook Can Indicate Health Problems
There’s no shortage of studies suggesting how bad social media is for our health. However, there is now research indicating that what we post on Facebook can be helpful in predicting mental health disorders and diseases.
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According to a new study published in PLOS One, what we post on Facebook can actually be an indication of mental and physical health problems. For example, researchers from Penn Medicine and Stony Brook University found that Facebook posts using the words “drink” and “bottle” predicted alcohol abuse. While that example might seem obvious, the study also suggested that those who posted words like “God” and “pray” most often were 15 times more likely to be diabetic. Posts with words like “dumb” and certain expletives also indicated drug abuse and psychosis.
"This work is early, but our hope is that the insights gleaned from these posts could be used to better inform patients and providers about their health," lead author Raina Merchant, MD, MS told Science Daily. "As social media posts are often about someone's lifestyle choices and experiences or how they're feeling, this information could provide additional information about disease management and exacerbation."
The researchers followed 1,000 Facebook users who agreed to link their electronic medical record data to their profiles. After examining 21 different conditions, the data showed that all 21 were predictable with just the Facebook posts. Not only that, but 10 of the conditions were predicted better with the Facebook data than with demographic information.
This study follows a related study from last year in which the results suggested that Facebook posts could predict depression three months before a diagnosis in a clinic. The researchers are hopeful that the new data can help provide information to clinicians and could be helpful to avid social media users.
“For instance, if someone is trying to lose weight and needs help understanding their food choices and exercise regimens, having a healthcare provider review their social media record might give them more insight into their usual patterns in order to help improve them," Merchant said.
While it’s still too early to depend on Facebook for health checkups, it might be a good idea to pay more attention to what we (and those we care about) share on social media.
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