Feeling sad or jealous looking at social media? Researchers say it's probably time to break your Facebook and Twitter habits.
An extensive review of 70 studies over 11 years has found looking at social media makes happy people happier - and sad people sadder.
"Happy people tend to associate with other happy people," University of Melbourne researcher Peggy Kern told AAP on Friday.
"You (also) end up with these clusters of people complaining."
Dr Kern said those with symptoms of depression were more likely to be jealous of their friends, compare themselves to others, and use negative language when using social media.
The study found highly anxious people were more likely to read through lots of posts without interacting with them or feeling part of a community.
Dr Kern said becoming aware of how you feel when using social media is the key to breaking out of a negative mindset.
"Recognising what your pattern is and if you might actually have some of those either positive or negative tendencies is one thing," she said.
"Becoming aware of things is something that can help us change."
The study found some users made strong connections through social media, but Dr Kern also urged people to log off and go see friends.
"That interaction in person is actually really important, and getting offline," she said.
"If you find yourself comparing yourself to others and things like that, then I think it's really good to take a break from it for a while."
And for those people who show off their "perfect lives" on social media, Dr Kern encouraged them to try to feel good without having to put themselves in the spotlight all the time.
"Also think about how that could be affecting others as well as they're looking at that," she said.
