Use Facebook just for posting ‘likes’ to ward off depression

Other studies have shown that high morning cortisol levels at 13 years increase the risk of suffering from depression at 16 years by 37 percent.

While none of the adolescents suffered from depression at the time of the study, Lupien could not conclude that they were free from an increased risk of developing it.

“We did not observe depression in our participants. However, adolescents who present high stress hormone levels do not become depressed immediately; it can occur later on,” Lupien emphasised.

Some studies have shown that it may take 11 years before the onset of severe depression in children who consistently had high cortisol levels

The study is one of the first in the emerging field of cyberpsychology to focus on the effects of Facebook on well-being.

“Developmental analysis could also reveal whether virtual stress is indeed ‘getting over the screen and under the skin’ to modulate neurobiological processes related to adaptation,” the authors noted in a paper published in the journal Psychoneuroendocrinology.