Of all the means social media tin can be bad for you, 1 of the worst, according to science, is the ability of Facebook and the like to induce green-eyed. Yous see your friends posting smiling selfies at exotic destinations and humblebragging nearly their professional and personal accomplishments, and you lot end up thinking your own life doesn't measure upwardly.

Of form, intellectually we all know that our existent life selves and our highly curated online selves differ hugely, only it's still like shooting fish in a barrel to autumn into the trap of letting other people's perfect social-media profiles convince you that yous're somehow falling short. An emotional and revealing new Twitter thread should explode that worry for skillful.

The grass really, really isn't greener.

The securely revealing discussion was kicked off by this tweet from Tracy Clayton, host of the BuzzFeed podcast Another Circular. (Hat tip Quartz.)

Apparently, she hit a nerve, as responses poured in. People shared a torrent of posts about the reality backside seemingly cheerful vacation snaps, glamorous selfies, smiling family portraits, and sports triumphs. Happy-looking couples confessed to fighting moments earlier the photo, while others bravely told of the mental wellness issues they were hiding in their smiling posts. Here's a sampling:

These posts obviously testify to the courage of those who shared them. They also speak volumes nigh our yearning for genuine human connection and authenticity, even at the cost of potential embarrassment. Only on a less personal level, the sheer scale of the response to Clayton's tweet is a useful reminder that what you lot see on social media bears basically no resemblance to people'southward actual lives.

Remember that next time you're feeling bad after comparing yourself to something you've seen online. Or even permit this torrent of truth motivate you lot to consider scaling back your social media for proficient. Science suggests you'll exist happier for ditching a habit proven to induce envy, disconnection, and loneliness.

Have you ever posted a happy pic online to mask your real-life suffering?