The influence of depression and personality on social networking

Established literature supports the notion that depressed individuals tend to be socially maladjusted and behave differently from those who aren't depressed. Yet, previous studies seem to overlook the influence of personality on behavior. Particularly, neuroticism may moderate the effect of depression on the way people behave. As one of the Big-Five factors of personality, neuroticism refers to a trait of one's capability to control emotional distress. Based on behavioral data from 393 Facebook users, current research demonstrates the interaction between depression and personality. Users engaged in activities at different levels of activities corresponding to their depression levels. Further, the effect of depression on social networking was regulated by personality: once neuroticism exceeded certain points, an increase in depression led to a decrease in social networking activities.