Gelisim News

“Be honest about who you are connecting with”

While social media allows people to communicate with each other more easily, it also has the power to greatly affect mental health and relationships. Referring to the problems that social media can create in relationships, Psychologist Res. Asst. Simay Yılmaz: "Even if you think your partner will not like it, you should be honest about who you connect with on social media."

Today, social media has taken such a role that people have started to live their lives online. While it strengthened the connections and made it easier to communicate, it also brought some flaws with it. Stating that social media has a great power that can affect mental health and relationships, Istanbul Gelisim University (IGU) Faculty of Economics, Administrative and Social Sciences, Psychologist Res. Asst. Simay Yılmaz said, "The process spent on social media leads to a decrease in the time spent in bilateral relations. However, negative effects such as jealousy, superficial attachment, arguments due to disagreements or comparisons with people we see on social media damage relationships."

“Plan an activity where you will not use social media and the phone”

Stating that there are steps that can be taken to put social media in a better place in our lives, Psychologist Res. Asst. Simay Yılmaz: "If you think that it negatively affects your daily life or relationships, there are some changes you can make. First, you can set relationship limits on the amount of time you spend with your partner. For instance, you can set common boundaries such as not being interested in social media after 21.00 and spending quality time together. Everyone has a busy life nowadays. However, it's always up to people to create quality time in your relationship. Plan an activity with your partner that you will not use your phone. In this way, you will be able to have a pleasant time without being distracted.”

“If you feel it negatively affects your relationship, do a social media detox”

Stating that many couples can experience betrayal through social media with the fact that social media has become a big part of our lives, Psychologist Yılmaz, "Even if you think your partner will not like it, you should be honest about who you connect with through social media. If you feel that social media is negatively affecting your life and relationship, do a social media detox. Spending too much time on social media can interfere with what you need to do in your daily life or the time you spend with your partner. In such cases, it may be good for you and your relationship to get away from social media for a while.”