Is Your Social Media Habit Ruining Your Productivity?

You Should Know: It’s not news to say that social media steals a lot of our attention and sucks up a lot of our time. But much of the conversation around the downsides of social media use is focused on our personal lives. That’s changing with a new study from Rutgers University that has found that swiping and scrolling at work affects our focus, productivity, and interpersonal relationships.

Going Deeper: Researchers categorized social posts into four groups: family, contentious, attractive, and accomplished. They conducted surveys of more than 270 workers and asked them to rate their productivity, mood, and behavior toward coworkers after viewing the most memorable post each day. Contentious posts made workers more anxious and withdrawn. Posts featuring friends and family boosted their confidence. Posts touting others’ accomplishments either motivated or demotivated them, depending on how competitive they were by nature.

The Takeaway: Social media can directly affect our mood, motivation, and behavior toward our coworkers. A rage-bait political post might upset you to the point of distraction while also making you more likely to retreat from colleagues — not great for collaboration and productivity.

Bottom Line: It’s probably best to reserve your scrolling time for personal hours. Need a little assistance? App-blocking programs like Freedom, SelfControl, and Brick (our favorite) can help keep you focused.