The scientific reasoning behind our social media addiction may have been revealed.
It's all part of evolution according to Bruce Hood of Bristol University or more specifically it's about the shrinking of the human brain.
Around 20,000 years ago, the human brain began shrinking and Hood believes that this was because humans were starting to become domesticated and were turning into social creatures that thrive on gossip. Social media websites such as Facebook and Twitter provide the perfect outlets for our need of gossip.
"The fact that many people have a compulsion to engage with lots of people via social media isn’t really that surprising. Our brains have evolved for us to be social animals."
Although social media is a good outlet for our social needs, we are unfortunately not expanding our mental horizons as a result.
"What’s interesting is that you might assume that the wider exposure to differing views that social media brings would make us all much more open-minded. What we see in reality of course is the opposite. People seem more likely to slot into niche groups of thought online than in real life.’
Via Metro
