Social Media vs. Nature

What’s the first thing your employees do when they get up in the morning? And what’s the first thing they do when they’re off the clock? Chances are, they’re checking their social media accounts. The action has been compared to playing a slot machine, as the body releases dopamine in reaction to what happens on the screen. The chemical messenger is a key component of how we feel pleasure.

Arguably, that’s the “up” side of social media. If you eat too much ice cream, you’ll most likely get fat. If you drink too much alcohol, you’ll get drunk and eventually damage your liver. But it’s harder to measure the effects of an addiction to social media. Harder, but not impossible. Both The National Center for Health Research and The Child Mind Institute have mentioned studies that have found people who use social media frequently feel more depressed than those who use their time for other activities.

A study conducted by the University of Pennsylvania focused on FOMO—the fear of missing out. Those who limited their time on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat and other social media sites to 30 minutes a day identified themselves as less lonely and depressed than people who spent as much time as they wished on social media.

If you want to help combat the addiction to social media, particularly among the under-40 generation, get your people outside, into nature, which has the opposite effect on the psyche as social media. Walking in the woods, taking in the sights and sounds, typically lifts the spirit and energizes the body. That can only help the bottom line, as a happy employee is a more productive employee.

Our corporate retreats to Yosemite National Park don’t involve bungee jumping, balancing an egg on a spoon or zip lining. They’re all about interacting with fellow hikers in the splendor that is one of our most popular national parks. And they’re about getting the buzz of social media and the city out of everyone’s heads so they can appreciate where they are and who they are. Give us a call.