Social media isn't great for our mental health. Studies have found parallels between heavier Facebook use and depression, feelings of envy and isolation and lower self-esteem.

The new study was published in "Cyber physiology," which entitled "Behavior and Social Networking," split nearly 2,000 people, aged 34 on average, into two groups. One group would keep on with their Facebook use as usual. The other group would quit using it for a week.

Before and after the study period, participants answered questions designed to capture their attitudes about Facebook, and their styles of use. Some were active users, meaning they posted pictures and updates, and some were passive users, meaning that they typically just scrolled through the newsfeed or browsed profiles.

A week later, people who'd given up Facebook were better off in several regards. They had better well-being and life satisfaction but only if they were heavy users to begin with. The light users didn't see the same benefits, and the moderate users only experienced moderate benefits.

"The present study provides causal evidence that quitting Facebook leads to higher levels of both cognitive and affective well-being," stated Tromholt Morten, the person behind the study.

A similar trend was found for the experience of Facebook envy. Those who rated low in envy didn't see any effect from quitting Facebook, but those who ranked moderately and high in envy saw significant reductions in those feelings after quitting. Participants assume that they will be happier after a bout of Facebook, but in fact they're unhappier in lots of different ways.

"The participants who took a one-week break from Facebook reported significantly higher levels of life satisfaction and a significantly improved emotional life," Tromholt Morten added in a conclusion.