A research study lead by Russell Clayton, a doctoral student in the University Of Missouri School Of Journalism suggests that the popular social media site may be damaging to a user's relationship status. According to the study, which is slated to be published in the Journal of Cyberpsychology, Behavior and Social Networking, people who tend to check Facebook status and updates on an hourly basis or more often are more likely to have Facebook related conflict with their spouses, fiancés, or other romantic partners.
Clayton's study revealed that the more often a Facebook subscriber utilizes the site, the more likely he or she was to monitor their romantic partner's activity on the site. Such heavy monitoring of their romantic partner's Facebook activity in turn often leads to feelings of jealousy which then often result in negative outcomes for the relationship, such as infidelity, termination of the relationship or divorce. In a press release concerning his research and findings, Clayton offered the following advice regarding Facebook usage that may be particularly beneficial to married couples: "Cutting back to moderate, healthy levels of Facebook usage could help reduce conflict, particularly for newer couples who are still learning about each other."