According to a recent Canadian study, having more than 300 friends on Facebook can have a negative effect on a teenager’s level of the stress hormone cortisol. However ‘liking’ on Facebook, and posting positive comments and messages to friends can have a positive effect.
The team of researchers from the University of Montreal and the Institut universitaire de santé mentale de Montréal, headed by Sonia Lupien, surveyed 88 participants, 41 boys and 47 girls aged 12 to 17 using four different measures: How frequently participants used the site, their number of friends on the network, their “self-promoting behaviour” on the site and how supportive their behaviour was towards friends on the site.