Can Facebook Make You Sick?

Coming back from GAC and a total immersion into social media and Twitter, it was great to have some awesome face to face conversations.  As I have discussed before, it can be very easy to get so immersed into social media, we forget about physical connections.   The Crash the GAC experience was great and so worth it.  As some might know, I had some travel troubles with an airline (detailed on Twitter of course) and ended up getting in late Tuesday evening. 

After missing the day's events, all that was left to attend was the Crash the GAC tweet up.  While I could have canceled the trip due to the airline issues, I decided to go ahead and push forward because I knew that it would be so awesome to get to meet and hang out with the future of the credit union movement. 

It was so worth it and way to short as I could have hung out with the "crashers" all night.  So many great people. So many great conversations.  So many great ideas.  And it was awesome chatting face to face.

As I get back to the office and reflect on the week's events, my tweets may slow for a bit to allow time to connect with those back at the office. Check out what Susan Fletcher has to say about social media and your personal health.  Great tips indeed.  Shout back and share your thoughts and comments below.

A controversial study from the Institute of Biology recently reported that social networking sites such as Facebook could raise your risk of cancer, strokes, heart disease and dementia.   The reason:  "Increased isolation could alter the way genes work and upset immune responses, hormone levels and the function of arteries and impair mental performance." In other words, not being around other people is bad for your health.

Last year I blogged about how Facebook helps you stay in the Smart Zone.  And I still believe it does.   I've embraced blogging, Twitter (sort of), YouTube, Facebook and of course, email.  Plus, I'm lost without my iPhone.

Just to prove I'm not "down" on Facebook, there are studies that show it increases productivity at work.  An Australian study found surfing the internet for fun during office hours actually increased employees productivity. The study from the University of Melbourne says "workplace internet leisure browsing, or WILB, helped to sharpen workers' concentration."  It goes on to say that people need to zone out for a bit to rest their mind so they can have a higher concentration level.

But communicating with someone on Facebook does not replace human contact.  When you minimize or eliminate contact with people you increase your chances of social isolation, loneliness, a negative outlook and ill health.  This is true even for introverted people.

Use these Smart Moves so that Facebook doesn't make you sick:

• Call someone out of the blue.  Not by poking them on Facebook or sending them an email.  Pick up the phone and call someone - voice to voice. 

• Resist the urge to answer your cell phone when you are at lunch with a coworker. The only time I interrupt a conversation to answer my cell phone is if I see the school nurse calling.   A fast way to lose connection with someone is to interrupt the conversation with a call from someone else.

• Words are a tiny part of communication.   Experts say that 7% of human communication comes from words, while 38% is from a person's tone of the voice and a whopping 55% comes from body language.  Without face-to-face interaction you are only using 7% of your capacity to communicate.

• Find ways to connect.  Find a reason to say thank you, offer sympathy to a bereaved friend, give a birthday wish or congratulate someone. What about a "happy belated President's Day" phone call?  Even better, St. Patrick's Day is coming up - use this as your excuse to call someone!

• Acknowledge people by speaking to them when they enter your presence.  My Director of Client Relations, Zan Jones, is a stickler about this.  It could be because she has had a career in sales and management and knows the importance of relationships.  Zan says that she never passes by someone in the hallway without acknowledging them in some way - usually with a smile and a "Hi." Don't miss a day telling your coworkers, "Good morning."

• Serve with someone.  One of my favorite ways to connect with people is to volunteer for a project or cause.  Volunteer to serve on the board of a nonprofit agency or on a church committee, answer the phones at the hospital or work at the concession stand during your kid's sporting events.  By serving in the community you create a personal win-win.

 Even the CEO of Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg, understands the importance of spending personal time with other people.  In the March issue of Fast Company, he reveals that during what Facebook called its "Christmas break" he and several Facebook employees went to India for the week long family celebration and wedding of 2 Facebook staffers.  Now that's a Smart Move!

By the way, I'd love for you to join my Facebook Fan Page or follow me on Twitter!

Susan Fletcher, Ph.D. is a psychologist, author and speaker who specializes in helping individuals, professionals and organizations apply strategies for fast improvement.  Her Smart Zone™ strategies provide ways to be a top performer at work and home. To learn more about how to be in the Smart Zone please visit her website at www.FletcherPhD.com or contact Susan at (972) 612-1188 or by email at drfletcher@fletcherphd.com