An experimental online study on the impact of negative social media comments on anxiety and mood
Abstract
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.
Study specs
Participants shared blog posts on a simulated internet forum and were exposed to negative, neutral, or positive comments; mood and anxiety levels were measured using validated scales.
- Authors
- Y Ai,A von Mühlenen
- Institution
- University of Warwick
- Discipline
- Behavioral Science
- Sample Size
- N=128
- Study Type
- Experimental Study
- Year
- 2025
- Human Data Platform
- Prolific
- Source
- View Source Google Scholar
Measured Outcomes
Impact of negative, neutral, and positive social media comments on anxiety and mood across adult participants.
Peer Review & Critical Discussion
Potential Selection Bias in 2023 Cohort
The participant pool shows a concerning overrepresentation of users from high-income demographics. Looking at Table 3, we can see that 78% of respondents had annual incomes above $75k, which significantly limits the generalizability of these findings to broader populations.
Non-naive Participants Issue
I've noticed a methodological concern regarding participant naivety. Given that Prolific users often complete multiple studies, there's a real risk that participants had prior exposure to similar experimental paradigms, which could confound the results.
RLHF Applicability to This Study Design
The implications for RLHF training pipelines are understated. If we accept the authors' conclusions about preference stability, this has direct consequences for how we should structure reward model training. The temporal decay effect described in Section 4.2 is particularly relevant.
Verify your expertise to join discussion
Create an account and verify your credentials to participate in peer discussions.