Is Facebook Making You Fat?

Healthy SELF, SELF Magazine

Jennifer D'Angelo Friedman,SELF magazine

Who doesn't have a Facebook account? While a little social networking seems perfectly harmless (it can even be good for you, especially if you're checking out SELF's Facebook page!), according to soon-to-be-published research, too much status-updating can pack on pounds.

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The research, from professors at Columbia University and the University of Pittsburgh, finds that social networking boosts your self-esteem (especially if your "friends" are really your friends, as opposed to hundreds of connections you barely know).

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That's good news, right? Well, sort of. According to the research, this momentary increase in self-esteem reduces your self-control, which in turn is associated with a higher body-mass index, increased binge eating, a lower credit score and higher levels of credit card debt. Yikes!

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Do you get a self-esteem boost from Facebook? Do you find that it reduces your self-control? Or are you highly skeptical of this study...

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