© Thomas Trutschel/Photothek via Getty ImagesQuitting Facebook may contribute to your happiness, according to a new study from Denmark
According to a new study from the Happiness Research Institute, giving up the popular social networking site may actually contribute to one's personal joy.
Gadgets 360 reported that researchers in Denmark took a group of 1095 volunteers, 94 per cent of whom said they visit Facebook daily, and divided them into two groups.
Quitting Facebook may contribute to your happiness, according to a new study from Denmark
One group carried on using Facebook as normal, while the other gave up checking the site for the duration of the week-long experiment.
By the end, 88 per cent of the group that quit using Facebook said they felt 'happy'. They also described feeling more enthusiastic, less lonely, less worried and more decisive, according to the study.
'After a few days, I noticed my to-do list was getting done faster than normal as I spent my time more productively. I also felt a sort of calmness from not being confronted by Facebook all the time,' Sophie Anne Dornoy, a volunteer in the study, said.
The non-Facebook users spent more time with their families in person and had an easier time concentrating, as well.
Researchers found that people who use Facebook often can begin to feel anxiety related to envy toward their Facebook friends from looking at their posts.
The authors of the study wrote: 'Instead of focusing on what we actually need, we have an unfortunate tendency to focus on what other people have.'
So what do you need to know about Facebook?
International Day of Happiness
International Day of Happiness is celebrated worldwide on March 20. The idea came from Jayme Illien, a well-known philanthropist, activist, and United Nations special adviser.
The goal of the celebration is to inspire others and push for happiness globally.
Illien introduced the idea to United Nations officials in 2011. He successfully campaigned and the day was added to the U.N. calendar.
The International Day of Happiness website encourages revelers to share happy moments on social media, invite kids to do things like stay active to promote happier, healthier lifestyles, and more.
How to quit Facebook
Quitting Facebook can be as simple as simply not logging in anymore, but if you find the allure of your unused account too strong, you can go the extra mile and deactivate the account.
To deactivate Facebook, you need to log in to your account and go to the drop-down menu in the top right corner of the page. Select 'Settings' from the menu and then click 'General'.
From there you'll need to select 'Manage account', where you'll see the option to deactivate your Facebook account. After clicking, Facebook will ask your reason for leaving. After you provide that information, Facebook will ask once more that you're certain you want to deactivate your account. Click 'yes' and you're free.
Deactivation can be reversed at any time, should you decide you'd like to return to the site at a later date.
How to delete Facebook
So you've quit Facebook, but the app is still sitting on your phone tempting you to return. No need to cave in - deleting the app is also easy.
If you're an iPhone user, simply hold your finger over the icon until all of your apps begin to shake. An 'X' will be visible in the top corner of the icon. Click it and send the Facebook app packing.
Android users, fear not. Deleting Facebook off android devices only requires that you go into settings, open your application manager and select Facebook.
Once you click uninstall you can enjoy your Facebook-free life.
How to unfriend someone on Facebook
If you're not quite ready to quit Facebook, deleting people who bring undue stress into your life via the social network is a great place to start.
Deleting friends on Facebook is a relatively quick and painless process.
Click onto the person's page and locate the Friends button, which should appear somewhere opposite their profile picture. A menu will appear with several options, including unfriend.
Select it and you'll then be asked if you're certain you're ready to part ways with this person. After clicking yes, you'll never see another update from them again.
How to block someone on Facebook
Blocking people on Facebook is another way to rid your timeline of people that stress or upset you. To do it, click the question mark at the top right of any page on Facebook and select privacy shortcuts.
From there, click 'How do I stop someone from bothering me?' and enter the name of the person in question. After you've entered their name, click 'block'.
A list will appear and you'll need to click 'block' once more. You can also block someone on Facebook by clicking block in the '...' menu located under their profile photo.
Facebook Cambridge Analytica
Last week, Facebook suspended Cambridge Analytica, a data consulting company, for collecting data on users - potentially millions of them - without consent, the Washington Post reported.
The company worked with Donald Trump's campaign.
While the outlet reports that FarmVille, Tinder and even political consultants from President Barack Obama's 2012 campaign used similar tactics to harvest information and understanding about people's relationships and preferences, Cambridge Analytica broke the rules.
They did so by obtaining the data under the farce that they were using the information they collected for academic purposes. Now they're being accused of using the data they collected to influence the 2016 election in favor of Trump.
Although Cambridge Analytica has been barred from buying any more ads on Facebook, they're said to still be in possession of the information they harvested.
Facebook fake news
After the 2016 election, Facebook came under investigation about potential Russian interference, according to Recode. The social network admitted that it sold more than $100,000 worth of ads to Russian propagandists, which may have influenced Facebook users to vote one way or another.
Facebook also admitted that users rigged their News Feed algorithm to spread false information throughout the election. Trump later claimed in a tweet that, 'Facebook was always anti-Trump', which prompted a response from Mark Zuckerberg.
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The Facebook CEO said: 'Trump says Facebook is against him. Liberals say we helped Trump. Both sides are upset about ideas and content they don't like. That's what running a platform for all ideas looks like.'
He also initially called the notion Facebook contributed to the election results 'crazy', which he later apologized for: 'Calling that crazy was dismissive and I regret it. This is too important an issue to be dismissive.'
Facebook stock price
Facebook stock is currently being bought at $172.56 (£123.35) per share.
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