Date of Graduation

5-2026

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Science in Biology

Degree Level

Undergraduate

Department

Biological Sciences

Advisor/Mentor

Kara Lasater

Committee Member

Faith Lessner

Second Committee Member

Sarah DuRant

Abstract

Abstract

Objectives: This study sought to examine the physiological and psychological effect of social media addiction displayed through sleep quality, cortisol levels, heart rate, and emotional affect in students at the University of Arkansas.

Methods: Seven adults (Age range = 18-21; 100% female) participated in a mixed-methods study investigating social media addiction across a two-week period. Sleep quality and duration were assessed using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Participants provided saliva samples which were used to quantify cortisol levels. For two weeks, participants were asked to spend at least ten minutes on social media daily and to report their heart rate and affect before and after using social media. Participants were also invited to engage in a semi-structured, in- depth interview regarding their social media use and opinions on social media.

Results: Two variables were found to be significantly correlated: Social Media Usage × Addiction Score and Age of First Use × Addiction Score which indicates higher daily social media usage was significantly associated with higher Bergen Social Media Addiction scores, and earlier age of first social media use was significantly associated with higher addiction scores with those who started using social media at younger ages showing higher addiction tendencies. Non- significant correlations included Cortisol × Social Media Usage, Cortisol × Addiction Score, Cortisol × Sleep Score, Addiction Score × Sleep Score, and Social Media Usage × Sleep Score. However, with a small sample size (n = 7), statistical power is limited, and moderate correlations may not reach statistical significance as there was high variability in responses, especially in regard to heart rate and affect.

Conclusion: Statistically significant correlations were found between usage time, age of first use, and addiction scores, even in this small group. The findings identify an issue of "high arousal" within the digital environment where usage is deeply habit-forming and emotionally complex. They also provide preliminary evidence suggesting the need for further exploration of both psychological and physiological mixed effects of social media on a larger scale.

Keywords

social media addiction; sleep quality, cortisol levels; behavioral addiction

Download

Share

COinS