Association between the use of social networking sites, perceived social support, and life satisfaction: Evidence from a population-based survey in Japan

This study examined the association between the use of social networking sites (SNS), perceived social support (PSS), and life satisfaction (LS), focusing on the mediating effect of PSS on the association between SNS use and LS. To this end, we used data (N = 15,574) obtained from a population-based, nationwide internet survey conducted in Japan. First, we confirmed that the number of SNS friends was positively associated with life satisfaction for all age groups: young (15–29 years), middle-aged (30–59 years), and old (60–86 years). However, the association was mixed if there were 100 or more SNS friends. Second, our structural equation modeling analysis underscored the mediating effect of PSS on the association between the number of SNS friends and LS for all age groups. Specifically, PSS mediated 36.5% (standard error [SE]: 8.6%), 39.8% (SE: 6.3%), and 40.3% (SE: 11.4%) of the association for the young, middle-aged, and old groups, respectively, if we defined SNS use as having 10 or more SNS friends. The mediating effect of PSS consistently contributed to the positive association between SNS use and LS regardless of the number of SNS friends, suggesting that SNS use has the potential to enhance subjective well-being via its positive impact on PSS.