Emotionally Disconnected in the Digital Age: Examining the Relationships Between Alexithymia, Social Media Use, and Mood States

Social media has experienced a significant rise of new users in recent years. This surge may result in an increase in the number of individuals who use social media excessively, especially those with a greater inclination towards it. Previous studies have shown that excessive social media use has a negative effect on emotional well-being. Research also revealed that individuals with certain personality traits might be more prone to excessive social media usage. This underscores the need for further research into these traits, particularly in individuals who struggle with their emotional well-being, such as those with alexithymia. However, little research has been done on how individual components of alexithymia relate to excessive social media use and positive and negative emotions. In this cross-sectional study, a large sample (n = 3560) of adults was used. We measured excessive social media use, emotions (positive and negative) experienced during the last week, alexithymia, and socio-demographic characteristics. A robust multiple regression analysis was used to test relationships of interest. The results indicate that difficulty identifying and describing negative feelings was significantly associated with excessive social media use. Furthermore, significant associations were found between experienced positive and negative emotions, excessive social media use, and alexithymia. The findings suggest that greater care should be taken when working with individuals with alexithymia to properly identify those who are more likely to engage in excessive social media use and experience more negative emotions.