Obsessed with likes? Study reveals how social media traps us in cycle of validation and distorted thinking

Imagine scrolling through Instagram and seeing flawless selfies, luxury vacations, and picture-perfect lives. Rise of delusional thinking in digital age A study, fittingly titled ‘I tweet, therefore I am,’ uncovered a disturbing reality: the psychological disorders most strongly associated with heavy social media use all involve delusions. Researchers Nancy Yang and Bernard Crespi from Simon Fraser University identified a troubling pattern: those with distorted self-perception disorders use social media far more than others. Social media is linked to rising eating disorders and mental health issues, particularly among users with distorted self-perception. Social Media and loss of reality checks “Social media fosters delusions by stripping away reality checks,” says SFU professor Bernard Crespi.