A new study suggests users of Facebook and other forms of social media have a greater chance than non-users of getting a divorce.
The study was conducted by researchers from the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile and Boston University's College of Communication, who claim to have found a connection between divorce and Facebook, according to CBS Local.
"Results show that using social networking sites negatively correlated with marriage quality and happiness, and positively correlated with experiencing a troubled relationship and thinking about divorce," the research team said.
The team first analyzed the increase in the use of Facebook and rate of divorce in states, discovering that a 20 percent increase in Facebook users in a state is linked to a 2.18 increase in the rate of marriages ending.
However, the increase in divorce rate was reported by TIME to be by 4 percent. Despite finding the increase, researchers couldn't figure out who exactly was creating a new account for the social network.
Analysts also looked at survey information involving people in the U.S. between 18 and 39 years old, finding that marriage quality went down as social media usage grew.
The team emphasized that the study found correlation, not causation, between social media usage and divorce, and they could be connected through a variety of other factors, CBS Local reported.
"If the preliminary findings in this study are sustained, it would represent an important step forward in the study of SNS and human behavior," the researchers concluded. "It would also raise profound questions about the role of social media in daily lives. Finally, it would spur new lines of research in understanding the role of Facebook in divorce and marital satisfaction, prompting a host of policy-oriented research endeavors by social scientist."
The results were published in the July 2014 edition of Computers in Human Behavior.
