Are Facebook users happier? A study says yes And now a new report from those who study Facebook for science: A team of Italian researchers have investigated the pyschophysiological (mind and body) effect that Facebook has on people. The findings? Facebook fans like using Facebook because ... it puts them in a good mood. You might have already surmised that Facebook users like the way they feel when they use Facebook. Why else would 845 million people use the social networking site on a monthly basis? But the researchers, who published their findings in the peer reviewed journal Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, proved their point by measuring the physical effects of Facebook on the body -- specifically measuring the skin conductance, blood volume pulse, respiratory activity and pupil dilation of people when using Facebook. They also measured electrical activity in the brain. To take these measurements, the scientists asked 30 students who are regular Facebook users to do three, three-minute tasks including looking at pretty scenic pictures (the relaxation control), taking a Stroop test and mathematical exam (the stress control) and logging into Facebook. In almost all the measurements, the body's "Facebook State" (our terminology, not theirs) lies somewhere between the body's physical response to relaxation and stress. A notable exception was pupil dilation, which was smallest in the Facebook state, and highest in the stress state. The scientists explain that this state matches up with what's called the "core flow state," which can acutally be one of our happiest states of mind. It's how we feel when we play chess, or write, or do sports, or make art. In the report the scientists describe core flow state as "a period of intense engagement and excitement." The scientists concluded that people like Facebook in the same way they like these other activities, because it engages them enough to be interesting, but not too much to be unpleasantly challenging. In other words, using Facebook makes you feel better about yourself. Next up, we're wondering if anyone has figured out if Facebook can cure cancer. Anyone working on that? Facebook's IPO filing by the numbers Most Facebook users get more from it than they put in, study finds