It’s possible that I shall make an ass of myself. But in that case one can always get out of it with a little dialectic. I have, of course, so worded my proposition as to be right either way (K.Marx, Letter to F.Engels on the Indian Mutiny)
Friday, November 15, 2024
Sign language plays key role in d/Deaf children’s education, study shows
University of Exeter
Ensuring d/Deaf children become bilingual in sign language and English should be a key priority for policymakers and teachers because this plays an important role in their education, a new study says.
Curriculum and instruction in deaf education should provide opportunities for children to actively use sign language in schools.
BSL should be used as part of children’s spoken and written language development, particularly considering its significance for reading development. The study shows how skills transfer from sign language to support a wide range of spoken and written language abilities.
There are many debates on how to best educate d/Deaf students for success in schools. Growing numbers of d/Deaf children are now educated in mainstream schools, where they will not get the same exposure to BSL.
The systematic review, of 70 studies, allowed researchers to identify close relationships between many “competencies” of sign language and spoken and written language. The sign language competences analysed in that review included phonological awareness, fingerspelling, lexico-semantic knowledge, grammatical knowledge, sign language comprehension, sign language production, and general proficiency. The spoken and written language competences included phonological awareness, word reading, lexico-semantic knowledge, grammatical knowledge, reading comprehension, spoken and written language production, and general proficiency.
The systematic review, by Dongbo Zhang and Hannah Anglin-Jaffe from the University of Exeter and Junhui Yang from the University of Central Lancashire, is published in Review of Education, a journal of the British Educational Research Association. The 70 studies were conducted in 14 countries, but about 60 per cent were conducted in the United States. They involved 14 sign languages and 8 spoken languages.
Researchers coded 202 cross-linguistic correlations – relationships between sign language competences and competences in spoken and written language.
The correlations were positive and statistically significant for all cross-linguistic relationships. The strength of the correlations, however, varied. For example, the highest correlation was between fingerspelling and word reading. The lowest correlation was between sign language phonological awareness and reading comprehension.
For the correlation between sign language and reading comprehension, the effect was stronger in children in bilingual programmes and schools.
Professor Zhang said: “We already know children’s home language plays a key role in helping them to read and learn. We have found the skills d/Deaf children have when using BSL help them in the same way. This means an English-only approach to learning may not be best for them.
“It’s important to nurture their bilingualism, and the place of sign language in the curriculum should be emphasised by policymakers.”
Dr Anglin-Jaffe said: “We know there used to be a lot more support for bilingualism for d/Deaf children than there is now. This is evidence of the academic, emotional and linguistic benefits of sign language.
“It’s important for deaf children to be exposed to BSL and see their peers, teachers and parents using it. This may not be happening in mainstream schools.”
Dr Yang said: “Sign language is an asset for d/Deaf students. Sign bilingualism means there are a lot of linguistic resources that benefit their academic learning. These resources also promote translanguaging and have broader significance for d/Deaf people.”
Yang, herself being Deaf, uses multiple sign languages and spoken languages. She teaches Sign Linguistics, Sign and Society and BSL courses
Sign language in d/deaf students' spoken/written language development: A research synthesis and meta-analysis of cross-linguistic correlation coefficients
Article Publication Date
12-Nov-2024
Obesity-fighting drugs may reduce alcohol consumption in individuals with alcohol use disorder
University of Eastern Finland
A new joint study by the University of Eastern Finland and Karolinska Institutet in Sweden found that the GLP-1 agonists semaglutide and liraglutide, which are used for treating diabetes and obesity, were associated with fewer hospitalisations among individuals with alcohol use disorder, AUD. Fewer hospitalisations were observed for alcohol related causes, substance use related causes, and for physical illnesses. However, no association was observed for hospitalisations due to attempted suicide.
Effective treatments for alcohol dependence exist; however, they remain underused and are not effective, or suitable, for all patients with alcohol or substance use disorder. Previous preliminary studies in animals and humans have shown that GLP-1 agonists may significantly reduce the consumption of alcohol and other substances.
The present study examined Swedish registry data on more than 200,000 individuals who had been diagnosed with alcohol use disorder in 2006–2021. Their drug treatments and hospitalisations were followed up until the end of 2023 using the PRE2DUP method developed by the research team and a within-individual design. During the follow-up, 4,321 of the study participants were using semaglutide, and 2,509 were using liraglutide.
The use of GLP-1-agonists was associated with a significantly reduced risk of hospitalisation due to alcohol use disorder. Semaglutide was associated with a 36% lower risk, and liraglutide with a 28% lower risk of hospitalisation. Both drugs were also associated with a significantly reduced risk of hospitalisation due to any substance use disorder: semaglutide with a 32% lower risk, and liraglutide with a 22% lower risk.
The risk of hospitalisation when using GLP-1-agonists was lower than when using naltrexone, which was the most effective drug among drugs already approved for alcohol use disorder. Naltrexone was associated with a 14% lower risk of hospitalisation due to alcohol and substance use related causes.
The use of semaglutide, liraglutide and AUD drugs were all associated with fewer hospitalisations due to physical illness: semaglutide with 22% fewer, liraglutide with 21% fewer, and AUD drugs with 15% fewer hospitalisations. No statistically significant association was observed between the use of GLP-1-agonists and hospitalisations due to attempted suicide.
“The research idea stems from patient observations reporting less alcohol consumption since initiating a semaglutide drug. Similar observations have also been highlighted by scientists in international conferences, so we decided to examine this in more detail,” says Docent of Forensic Psychiatry Markku Lähteenvuo of the University of Eastern Finland and the Niuvanniemi Hospital.
“Our study suggests that besides obesity and diabetes, GLP-1-agonists may also help in the treatment of alcohol and substance use disorders; however, these findings need to be further validated in randomised controlled trials,” Lähteenvuo notes.
Credit: Binghamton University, State University of New York
BINGHAMTON, N.Y. -- In an office full of new coworkers, someone suggests going out for pizza. One person is extra hungry and gobbles up a slice too fast, burning the roof of his mouth in the process.
Has something like this ever happened to you? It’s an embarrassing moment at first, but later on, it becomes a story you joke about at the office – and possibly, it could mean much more.
Forming memories around shared experiences, whether something fun like grabbing a pizza or as emotionally straining as an employee strike, has a way of binding people together. But, as Binghamton University, State University of New York Assistant Professor Matthew Lyle helped uncover in a new study, it could also motivate those performing different roles within the same company to socialize more and strengthen their working relationships.
The study’s results could help managers understand the importance of encouraging shared memories in cross-occupational coordination at their workplace. In other words: it’s a good idea for employees to form shared memories with their colleagues.
“One major takeaway from this research is that, for larger projects involving people in different occupations or experience levels within the same company, you’ll need some kind of shared experience that enables them not only to work more effectively together but also be more comfortable sharing their ideas,” said Lyle, an expert in organizational strategy. “It could also be like a double-edged sword in a way because, if the event is strong enough to bring people together, it could also disrupt established groups.”
Lyle and fellow researchers framed their study around the case of a 170-day strike in 2012 at a South Korean public broadcaster, which they anonymized as “TelvCorp” for the study. Over the years, the broadcaster employed multiple occupations and garnered prestigious awards, won primarily by reporters.
The strike happened after reporters viewed action by South Korea’s then-recently-elected conservative government in 2008 as a threat, believing their CEO had been replaced by a pro-administration figure to gain more favorable coverage. The new CEO, a former TelvCorp employee, was accused by staff of promoting executives and managers to monitor news programs and remove content perceived as critical of the government. Reporters decided to strike.
Lyle’s study noted that TelvCorp’s non-reporters were initially hesitant to participate fully due to their memories of reporters having been self-serving and ego-driven during past strikes. However, the CEO’s decision to fire union leaders, which those across occupational boundaries discussed and commonly remembered as a “call to arms,” catalyzed intense collaboration. These different groups had become what researchers call a “mnemonic community,” or group that remembers together, that endured long after the strike ended.
Unfortunately, the news was not all positive. Lyle and fellow researchers found a divide had emerged between those who went on strike and those who didn’t.
“When the strike was over, the situation became more complicated because things were unlikely to go back to the way they were at that workplace,” he said. “Now, there’s a new group after the strike, with some people saying they could no longer see colleagues who chose an opposite side in the strike as good people.”
How this research helps improve office teamwork
While Lyle and his fellow researchers reached these conclusions by studying a single organization, he believes there are lessons to be pulled from their analysis that might broadly aid organizations.
For instance, Lyle said a strong, perhaps unorthodox experience is more likely to encourage collaborative work. For example, in describing a hypothetical company retreat, Lyle mentioned how remembering “when Jenny fell off the rope swing, or when Jim face-planted trying to do that” could form a core memory that makes members more willing to work together.
While Lyle admitted those types of memories may sound juvenile or unnecessary, they form the basis of shared memories that help when people sit down at work to decide how to tackle a problem together. The gobbling of the hot pizza, then, could become a memory with lasting implications.
“When you’re in the in-group, you’re more likely to help each other out and have each other’s backs,” Lyle said. “We know we can create those things artificially, but why not create them around some shared experience that makes a memory, that makes people want to work together?”
‘We Can Win this Fight Together’: Memory and Cross-Occupational Coordination
How retailers change ordering strategy when a supplier starts its own direct channel
American Marketing Association
Researchers from Erasmus University and KU Leuven published a new Journal of Marketing study that examines how retailers respond when suppliers establish direct channels to reach end-consumers and how suppliers can take steps to avoid a backlash.
Recently, Sony began selling PlayStation products through its PlayStation Direct online store in the UK, which includes many products available at major retail stores such as Currys and Argos. This is an example of encroachment, when suppliers like Sony, Nike, and Lego establish their own direct channels to reach end-consumers. Such direct channels offer suppliers visibility and control over the customer experience, but they potentially come at the cost of upsetting downstream retail partners who may perceive the direct channel as competition.
This raises an important question for suppliers: Will retailers change their ordering strategies at the encroaching supplier, and if so, how?
Should retailers respond adversely and disengage from the retailer-supplier relationship, typically leading to decreased orders and higher wholesale prices (i.e., an exit response)? Or should they respond cooperatively and engage in constructive discussions with the supplier to seek improved terms of trade, typically leading to lower wholesale prices and increased orders (i.e., a voice response)?
This new study analyzes the ordering strategy responses of nearly 2,000 retailers that were confronted with a supplier’s launch of their own webshop in the toy industry. The research team finds that, on average, retailers choose an exit response to a supplier direct channel introduction.
Van Crombrugge states, “our findings show that, on average, retailers disengage from the retailer–supplier relationship. The average retailer decreases the number of distinct SKUs ordered, which is met by the wholesaler increasing prices, possibly reflecting the worsened terms of trade.” Specifically, retailers decrease the number of distinct SKUs ordered by 15 (or 18.75%) in the period after the direct channel entry. Possibly due to these fewer orders, they also pay a higher average wholesale price of €.79 (or 20.84%). The increased wholesale price, however, does not compensate for the loss in quantity ordered. The total order value for the average retailer at the supplier decreases by €399.50 (or 11.69%) in the first six months after the direct channel entry.
The Importance of Retailer Power
Such an adverse reaction is troublesome for the encroaching supplier, yet not all retailers respond the same way. “Our studies provide clear evidence that retailer power is a key driver of ordering strategy responses,” Breugelmans says, “such that larger, powerful retailers are much less likely to exit the retailer–supplier relationship than less powerful retailers. In fact, for the largest retailers, we observe no change in order value.”
Gryseels explains that, “one mechanism underlying this finding is confidence from powerful retailers that the supplier will continue to support their retail operations despite the introduction of the direct channel.” Specialist retailers differ from generalist retailers in their ordering response depending on two countervailing forces.
Specialists experience higher switching costs because these specialized, go-to retailers cannot afford to exclude the brands of important suppliers, which makes it harder to disengage from the relationship.
On the flip side, specialists perceive more channel conflict than generalists because the direct channel threatens their core business, which can evoke stronger emotional inclinations to disengage.
The weights of these two mechanisms determine the specialist retailer’s ultimate decision. Cleeren adds that, “we find the relationship quality between the supplier and retailer to have a substantially lower effect on a retailer’s response than expected. Only when the relationship is particularly strong are we able to find the expected mitigating effect on a retailer’s exit response.”
Lessons for Chief Marketing Officers
These findings offer important insights and caveats to suppliers that consider selling directly to end-consumers.
Introducing direct channels may provide suppliers with opportunities to get closer to their end-customers, but the backlash by retailers makes this step risky because retailers may significantly reduce their orders.
Smaller retailers with less power are more likely to disengage from the relationship after encroachment, driven mainly by their lack of confidence in the supplier.
Suppliers should pay special attention to smaller retailers and design specific incentives and stimuli to increase their confidence and convince them to keep placing orders. This will sacrifice some short-term profits, but it provides retailers with a credible signal that the supplier wants to minimize the potential harm from the direct channel.
The supplier might reduce the competition created by the direct channel through differentiation. The extent to which channels compete depends on their similarity, in terms of product, price, and/or service. This means the supplier can clearly differentiate what it offers through retailers versus through its direct channel (e.g., channel-specific exclusives, online-only personalization services) to limit competition.
The Journal of Marketing develops and disseminates knowledge about real-world marketing questions useful to scholars, educators, managers, policy makers, consumers, and other societal stakeholders around the world. Published by the American Marketing Association since its founding in 1936, JM has played a significant role in shaping the content and boundaries of the marketing discipline. Shrihari (Hari) Sridhar (Joe Foster ’56 Chair in Business Leadership, Professor of Marketing at Mays Business School, Texas A&M University) serves as the current Editor in Chief. https://www.ama.org/jm
About the American Marketing Association (AMA)
As the leading global professional marketing association, the AMA is the essential community for marketers. From students and practitioners to executives and academics, we aim to elevate the profession, deepen knowledge, and make a lasting impact. The AMA is home to five premier scholarly journals including: Journal of Marketing, Journal of Marketing Research, Journal of Public Policy and Marketing, Journal of International Marketing, and Journal of Interactive Marketing. Our industry-leading training events and conferences define future forward practices, while our professional development and PCM® professional certification advance knowledge. With 70 chapters and a presence on 350 college campuses across North America, the AMA fosters a vibrant community of marketers. The association’s philanthropic arm, the AMA’s Foundation, is inspiring a more diverse industry and ensuring marketing research impacts public good.
AMA views marketing as the activity, set of institutions, and processes for creating, communicating, delivering, and exchanging offerings that have value for customers, clients, partners, and society at large. You can learn more about AMA’s learning programs and certifications, conferences and events, and scholarly journals at AMA.org.
How Retailers Change Ordering Strategies When Suppliers Go Direct
Research shows managers of firms handling recalls should review media scrutiny before deciding whether to lobby
Strategic Management Society
Lobbying can help companies reduce costs related to product recall, but it can also have a negative impact on the firm’s image. Research published in Strategic Management Journal offers clear data on the phenomenon, suggesting that managers should pay careful attention to the reputational cues from the media to determine when lobbying may be problematic and to refrain from the practice.
Firms can use lobbying to influence the government, which in turn potentially limits their costs during product recall crises. Previous research has shown that when a firm increases its lobbying spending by approximately $417,014, which has been found to lead to one less recall, it can save the firm millions of dollars. Each recall conservatively costs about $12 million. Such lobbying can, however, draw scrutiny from the media if the lobbying gives the impression that companies would rather save costs than focus on safety, which can come across as hypocritical.
The researchers — Jinsil Kim of the College of New Jersey, Miranda J. Welbourne Eleazar of the University of Iowa, and Seung-Hyun Lee of the University of Texas at Dallas — wanted to better understand how firms could resolve the tension around lobbying. They hypothesized that the greater the negative publicity of a firm's product safety recalls, the less likely that firm would be to lobby for recall-related issues.
The researchers used auto firms' lobbying responses to news about product recalls and lobbying. They tapped multiple data sources and a sample of 3,747 manufacturer-recall observations related to auto recalls and lobbying in the U.S. between 2008 and 2022. They also conducted 15 interviews with lobbyists and heads of external affairs overseeing firms' lobbying activities.
“As there is more and more attention around this issue, and we've come long past the era when the focus was only on the gains from corporate political action, firms are increasingly considering this tension as well,” Kim says. “We asked what the triggers or signals that firms look out for in their decision regarding CPA (corporate political action) management: whether to go ahead with lobbying or strategically eschew it.”
Upon analysis of the data and interviews, they found that companies are more likely to strategically refrain from lobbying to minimize additional, unwanted media spotlight and its associated negative repercussions when they receive negative media coverage of product recalls, or recall-related lobbying. While lobbying can reduce costs related to product recalls, the repercussions to firm reputation appear to not be worth the savings.
“From our field interviews with corporate lobbyists and head of external affairs, we learned that practitioners are aware — to a certain extent — of the impact of media and pay much attention to what goes on in the media, and make lobbying decisions accordingly,” Kim says. “We view that our paper would reinforce their tendencies to exercise caution. It may be challenging to accurately anticipate the costs and benefits upfront, but we've made a first step by showing that gauging the media temperature is important.”
The Strategic Management Society (SMS) is the leading global member organization fostering and supporting rigorous and practice-engaged strategic management research. SMS enjoys the support of 3,000 members, representing more than 1,100 institutions and companies in more than 70 countries. SMS publishes three leading academic journals in partnership with Wiley: Strategic Management Journal, Strategic Entrepreneurship Journal, and Global Strategy Journal. These journals publish top-quality work applicable to researchers and practitioners with complementary access for all SMS Members. The SMS Explorer offers the latest insights and takeaways from the SMS Journals for business practitioners, consultants, and academics.
Click here to subscribe to the monthly SMS Explorer newsletter.
Click here to learn more about the programs and opportunities SMS has to offer.
The influence of media scrutiny on firms' strategic eschewal of lobbying
How skills from hospitality and tourism can propel careers beyond the industry
Far from the stereotype of low-wage, low-skill positions, hospitality and tourism jobs could be powerful launchpads for broader career success, according to a new study from the University of Surrey
JOBS CURRENTLY FILLED BY TEMPORARY FOREIGN WORKERS IN CANADA
University of Surrey
Far from the stereotype of low-wage, low-skill positions, hospitality and tourism jobs could be powerful launchpads for broader career success, according to a new study from the University of Surrey. Researchers believe that working in these roles cultivates a wealth of transferable skills that can lead to lucrative opportunities in sectors like finance, healthcare, and technology.
In a study published in the Annals of Tourism Research, a team led by Dr Brigitte Stangl identified 116 unique transferable skills that employees gain while working in these sectors, highlighting the industry’s role as a vital training ground for essential skills.
The study found that employees in hospitality and tourism developed this rich number of soft skills, including emotional intelligence, teamwork, and cultural awareness. These competencies are not only applicable within the industry but can also significantly enhance career prospects in various other fields. For example, many former hospitality workers successfully transitioned into high-demand roles in banking, healthcare, and IT, leveraging the skills they honed while serving customers.
Dr Brigitte Stangl, Senior Lecturer in Tourism and lead-author of the study at the University of Surrey said:
“Many people underestimate the value of skills developed in hospitality and tourism jobs. Our findings demonstrate that these roles do not just provide immediate employment; they equip individuals with critical skills such as communication, problem-solving, and adaptability—qualities that are highly sought after in many industries.”
The study highlights that the tourism and hospitality sectors are facing challenges in recruiting and retaining talent, often due to negative stereotypes and perceptions surrounding these jobs. However, by reframing the narrative and emphasising the valuable skills gained through these roles, the industry can attract a more diverse workforce.
“With the tourism and hospitality industry projected to contribute significantly to the global economy in the coming years, this research serves as a wakeup call to re-evaluate how we perceive these professions. The findings encourage both potential employees and employers to recognise the long-term benefits of working in this sector—not just as a job or long-term career within tourism and hospitality, but as a stepping stone to greater opportunities outside the sector.”
Huntington’s disease gene also enhances early brain development and intelligence
Gene mutation appears to confer early benefit despite later cost
University of Iowa Health Care
The genetic mutation that causes Huntington’s disease (HD) – a devastating brain disease that disrupts mobility and diminishes cognitive ability – may also enhance early brain development and play a role in promoting human intelligence.
This revelation comes from more than 10 years of brain imaging and brain function data, including motor, cognitive, and behavioral assessments, collected from a unique population - children and young adults who carry the gene for HD. While an HD mutation will eventually cause fatal brain disease in adulthood, the study finds that early in life, children with the HD mutation have bigger brains and higher IQ than children without the mutation.
“The finding suggests that early in life, the gene mutation is actually beneficial to brain development, but that early benefit later becomes a liability,” says Peg Nopoulos, MD, professor and head of psychiatry at the UI Carver College of Medicine, and senior author on the study published in The Annals of Neurology.
The finding may also have implications for developing effective treatments for HD. If the gene’s early action is beneficial, then simply aiming to knock out the gene might result in loss of the developmental benefit, too. Creating therapies that can disrupt the gene’s activity later in the patient’s lifetime might be more useful.
The new data about the gene’s positive effect on early brain development is also exciting to Nopoulos for another reason.
“We are very interested in the fact that this appears to be a gene that drives IQ,” she says. “No previous study has found any gene of significant effect on IQ, even though we know intelligence is heritable.”
HD gene linked to better brain development in early life
Huntington’s disease is caused by a mutation in the huntingtin (HTT) gene. The protein produced by the HTT gene is necessary for normal development, but variations within a segment of the protein have a profound effect on the brain.
The segment in question is a long repeat of one amino acid called glutamine. More repeats are associated with bigger, more complex brains. For example, species such as sea urchins or fish have no repeats, but these repeats start to appear higher up the evolutionary ladder. Rodents have a few repeats, while apes (our closest relatives) have even more repeats; and humans have the most.
Most people have repeats in the range of 10-26, but if a person has 40 or more repeats, then they develop HD. Although the gene expansion is present before birth, HD symptoms do not appear until middle age. Nopoulos’s team at the University of Iowa has a long history of studying how the HTT gene expansion affects brain development in the decades before disease onset.
“We know that the expanded gene causes a horrible degenerative disease later in life, but we also know it is a gene that is crucial for general development,” she says. “We were surprised to find that it does have a positive effect on brain development early in life. Those who have the gene expansion have an enhanced brain with larger volumes of the cerebrum and higher IQ compared to those who don’t.”
In particular, the study found that decades before HD symptoms appeared, children with the HD gene expansion showed significantly better cognitive, behavioral, and motor scores compared to children with repeats within the normal range. Children with the expanded gene also had larger cerebral volumes and greater cortical surface area and folding. After this initial peak, a prolonged deterioration was seen in both brain function and structure.
The study gathered this data by following almost 200 participants in the Kids-HD study, the only longitudinal study of children and young adults at risk for HD due to having a parent or grandparent with the disease.
Evolutionary benefit comes at a cost
Although surprising, the findings are in line with studies from evolutionary biologists who believe that genes like HTT may have been ‘positively selected’ for human brain evolution. This theory, known as antagonistic pleiotropy, suggests that certain genes can produce a beneficial effect early in life, but come at a cost later in life.
The finding also challenges the idea that the protein produced by the HD gene is solely a toxic protein that causes brain degeneration.
“Overall, our study suggests that we should rethink the notion of the toxic protein theory,” says Nopoulos who also is a member of the Iowa Neuroscience Institute. “Instead, we should consider the theory of antagonistic pleiotropy – a theory that suggests that genes like HTT build a better brain early in life, but the cost of the superior brain is that it isn’t built to last and may be prone to premature or accelerating aging.
“This means that instead of knocking down the gene for therapy, drugs that slow the aging process may be more effective.”
Next steps
Nopoulos’s team is already making progress extending the research from the Kids-HD program. Using a major grant received in 2019, Nopoulos established the Children to Adult Neurodevelopment in Gene-Expanded Huntington’s Disease (ChANGE-HD), a multi-site study that aims to recruit hundreds of participants for a total of over 1,200 assessments to validate the key findings from the Kids-HD study and to enhance future research on HD.
A primary area of focus will be understanding how an enlarged brain can later lead to degeneration. One hypothesis Nopoulos and her team will explore involves the idea that an enlarged cortex might produce excess glutamate (an important neurotransmitter), which is beneficial in early brain development, but later leads to neurotoxicity and brain degeneration.
In addition to Nopoulos, the UI team included Mohit Neema, MD, UI research scientist and first author of the study; Jordan Schultz, PharmD; Douglas Langbehn, MD, PhD; Amy Conrad, PhD; Eric Epping, MD, PhD; and Vincent Magnotta PhD.
The research was funded in part by grants from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke and the CHDI Foundation.
New York Times bestselling author James Rollins brings back Sigma Force to battle a group of rogue scientists who've unleashed a bioengineering project.
How to reduce social media stress by leaning in instead of logging off
University of British Columbia
Young people’s mental health may depend on how they use social media, rather than how much time they spend using it, according to a new study by University of B.C. researchers.
The research, led by psychology professor Dr. Amori Mikami (she/her) and published this week in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, examined the effects of quitting social media versus using it more intentionally.
The results showed that users who thoughtfully managed their online interactions, as well as those who abstained from social media entirely, saw mental health benefits—particularly in reducing symptoms of anxiety, depression and loneliness.
With social media use nearly universal among young adults, especially those ages 17-29, concerns over its impact on mental health have grown.
“There’s a lot of talk about how damaging social media can be, but our team wanted to see if this was really the full picture or if the way people engage with social media might make a difference,” said Dr. Mikami.
Instead of treating social media as an all-or-nothing choice, the study explored whether helping young adults learn “smarter” engagement techniques could enhance their well-being.
In the six-week study, 393 Canadian young adults with some mental health symptoms and concerns about social media’s impact on their mental health were split into three groups:
a control group that continued their usual routines
an abstinence group asked to stop using social media entirely
a “tutorial” group that was coached in intentional usage
The tutorials guided participants on fostering meaningful online connections, limiting interactions that encouraged self-comparison, and carefully selecting who they followed.
Both the abstinence and tutorial groups reduced their social media use and experienced fewer social comparisons—a common trigger for anxiety and low self-esteem. While the tutorial group didn't cut back on social media as much as those who tried to abstain completely, they reported notable improvements in loneliness and fear of missing out (FOMO).
By comparison, those who abstained from social media altogether were more successful in reducing depression and anxiety symptoms, yet reported no improvement in loneliness.
“Cutting off social media might reduce some of the pressures young adults feel around presenting a curated image of themselves online. But, stopping social media might also deprive young adults of social connections with friends and family, leading to feelings of isolation,” said Dr. Mikami.
Dr. Mikami, along with graduate students Adri Khalis and Vasileia Karasavva, used an approach with the tutorial group that emphasized quality over quantity in social media interactions. By muting or unfollowing accounts that triggered envy or negative self-comparisons and prioritizing close friendships, tutorial participants built a healthier online environment. Rather than passively scrolling, they were encouraged to actively engage with friends by commenting or sending direct messages—a behaviour that tends to deepen meaningful connections while helping users feel more socially supported.
For Dr. Mikami, this balanced approach may be a realistic alternative to complete abstinence, which may not be feasible for many young adults.
“Social media is here to stay,” she said. “And for many people, quitting isn’t a realistic option. But with the right guidance, young adults can curate a more positive experience, using social media to support their mental health instead of detracting from it.”
Dr. Mikami believes the findings can offer valuable insights for mental health programs and schools. She envisions future workshops and educational sessions where young adults learn to use social media as a tool to strengthen their relationships rather than as a source of comparison and stress. This approach, she suggests, could break the cycle of quitting social media only to return later, sometimes with worse effects.
The research emphasizes that young people’s well-being is closely tied to how they engage. By offering alternative ways to interact online, Dr. Mikami’s team has shown that positive mental health outcomes are possible without sacrificing the social connectivity that platforms provide. As she put it: “For many young people, it’s not about logging off. It’s about leaning in—in the right way.”
