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Abstract

The mobile app BeReal, launched in 2020, has gained popularity for its emphasis on authenticity, spontaneity, and real-time daily interactions with close ties, earning it the label of “anti-Instagram.” However, empirical evidence on its relationship with well-being is currently lacking. This study uses a quasi-experimental two-wave design to examine the relationship between BeReal use duration and well-being indicators. Results suggest that long-term BeReal use is linked to higher friendship satisfaction, positively influencing life satisfaction. In addition, long-term use is associated with reduced fear of missing out and connection overload compared to short-term use, suggesting BeReal may enhance well-being possibly by facilitating daily interactions with close ties, limiting usage time, and providing a more authentic representation of everyday life compared to other social media platforms.

Keywords

BeReal app connection overload fear of missing out friendship satisfaction life satisfaction social media use well-being

The social media app BeReal, introduced in 2020 (App Store, 2022), has quickly gained worldwide popularity with 91 million global downloads in 2022 (Apptopia, 2023). Once a day at a random time, BeReal users receive a notification that asks them to capture and share a photo in 2 minutes of whatever they are doing at that moment. The snapshot is then taken simultaneously by the front and rear camera. The platform’s goal is to enable users to share the pictures with their close social circle and keep up with friends by authentically presenting the reality of everyday life on social media (Taylor, 2023). Although BeReal is often presented in the media as a social media platform without the notorious adverse effects on the well-being of users, sometimes even labeled as the “anti-Instagram” (e.g. Reyes, 2022, para. 4), only anecdotal evidence is available to support (or reject) these claims (e.g. Asmelash, 2022; Brandon, 2022; Herrman, 2022; McCluskey, 2022a, 2022b).

Although evidence regarding BeReal is limited, prior research has investigated the ever-increasing integration of social media into daily life. While some studies have highlighted the potential positive effects of social media use (e.g. Meier et al., 2020; Meier and Schäfer, 2018), others have demonstrated its detrimental impact on various well-being indicators (e.g. de Vries et al., 2017; Shakya and Christakis, 2017). A meta-review by Meier and Reinecke (2020) identified a small negative association between social media use and mental health indicators.

The existing research examining how social media use impacts users’ well-being has predominantly focused on established (semi)public social media such as Facebook (e.g. Shakya and Christakis, 2017), Instagram (e.g. de Vries et al., 2017), or more recently TikTok (e.g. Roberts and David, 2023). While these studies have provided valuable insights, their findings may not fully apply to newer platforms like BeReal, which offer fundamentally different design for user experiences. BeReal’s emphasis on spontaneity and real-time sharing distinguishes it from other platforms, making it an especially relevant case for studying how new social media designs influence well-being. This underscores the broader need for systematic, large-scale investigations into how diverse platforms shape usage patterns, user experiences, and their effects on well-being. We argue that such research endeavors are crucial for a more thorough understanding of the dynamics surrounding social media use.

To the best of our knowledge, existing academic research on BeReal has primarily addressed aspects of authenticity and self-presentation (Maddox, 2023; Pinch et al., 2024; Reddy and Kumar, 2024; Vanhoffelen et al., 2023), leaving a significant gap in understanding its potential effects on user well-being. To address this research gap, we employ a quasi-experimental two-wave design to investigate the relationship between users’ well-being indicators and the duration of BeReal use. By extending the existing body of literature, this study aims to provide new insights into the evolving dynamics of social media use and well-being in the context of emerging platforms.

Key features of the BeReal application

BeReal, a French-founded mobile application released in 2020, has garnered significant attention in the last few years for its unique approach to fostering user engagement and authenticity (App Store, 2022). Its key feature is a daily, random prompt for users to capture snapshots of their current activities using both the front and rear smartphone cameras within a 2-minute window. To view what others have posted, users must actively participate by capturing a BeReal post themselves (Taylor, 2023). This reciprocal relationship, where engagement and visibility are mutually dependent, reflects social exchange theory, where interactions are based on the benefits of the exchange (Roloff, 1981; Stafford and Kuiper, 2021), fostering shared authenticity and participation. Notably, BeReal prohibits editing, lacks algorithms, advertisements,¹ and public follower counts, setting it apart from other platforms (McCluskey, 2022b). BeReal also explicitly brands itself as more authentic and different from mainstream social media (App Store, 2023; Bayer et al., 2022), which is a common approach among emerging platforms (Salisbury and Pooley, 2017). Its objective revolves around sharing spontaneous snapshots within close social circle, enabling users to remain connected with friends by offering an unfiltered glimpse into their daily realities (McCluskey, 2022b).

In one of the pioneering academic publications on BeReal, Maddox (2023) concludes that although expectations for online authenticity have grown significantly, social media content labeled as “authentic” remains inherently subject to curation. BeReal, however, departs from the dominant authenticity-as-performance paradigm seen on other platforms. Instead, it embraces authenticity-as-realness, characterized by the emphasis on spontaneity and time-limited posts (Maddox, 2023). This distinction ties into broader debates on whether online authenticity reflects honesty (Bailey and Iyengar, 2022) or positive self-perception (Bailey and Iyengar, 2023). While more spontaneous posting has been linked to increased subjective authenticity (Kreling et al., 2022), Vanhoffelen and colleagues (2023) found that adolescents’ authentic self-presentations on BeReal did not significantly impact self-concept clarity or self-esteem. However, research on other well-being aspects, such as friendship satisfaction, is currently lacking.

Bulchand-Gidumal (2023) classifies BeReal as a Spontaneous Online Social Network (SOSN), highlighting its objective to encourage content that is “as real as possible” (p. 2). SOSNs are also characterized by the absence of “likes” or “followers” and by content that is not publicly accessible later. On BeReal, user-generated content is visible only to a select group of friends for a limited time before disappearing. This ephemeral nature potentially reduces the pressure to curate or perfect posts, fostering a more spontaneous and less performative online environment (Bayer et al., 2015; Trieu and Baym, 2020).

Despite its rapid rise and significant media attention, academic research on BeReal’s impact on users’ well-being remains scarce. Since BeReal’s distinctive design and features distinguish it from established social media platforms that have constituted the primary focus of academic inquiry, exploring the applicability of the previous findings in the context of BeReal represents an important contribution to broader understanding of the effects of social media use. Research on BeReal addresses a critical gap in the literature while offering valuable insights into the evolving social media landscape and its implications for well-being.

Social media use and psychological well-being

The exponential rise of social media has not only transformed the way we communicate in our everyday lives but has also inspired a comprehensive scholarly exploration of the impact these platforms have on users’ psychological well-being. However, the research has produced compelling evidence in both directions—showing positive (e.g. Meier et al., 2020; Meier and Schäfer, 2018) as well as negative (e.g. de Vries et al., 2017; Shakya and Christakis, 2017) effects of social media use on various psychological well-being indicators.

A prominent dimension that determines the impact of social media usage on psychological well-being is the way we use these platforms as well as whom we interact with. Research suggests that the nature of social media interactions, encompassing both various types of activities and the individuals involved, plays a critical role in shaping the influence of social media use on well-being (Burke et al., 2011; Burke and Kraut, 2016).

The distinction between strong and weak ties is crucial in understanding social media interactions. Communication with strong ties, such as close friends and family, has been linked to positive well-being outcomes in the context of social media use. This can be explained by social media communication enabling the maintenance of close connections and bonding social capital (Ellison et al., 2007). Research shows that online communication with strong ties is linked to reduced depression and stress, but also increased emotional and social support (Bessière et al., 2008; Burke and Kraut, 2013). Moreover, composed, targeted communication, referring to original, thoughtfully written messages tailored for a specific recipient, with strong ties yields improved well-being outcomes (Burke and Kraut, 2016).

Another dimension that significantly influences the relationship between social media use and psychological well-being is authenticity. Reinecke and Trepte (2014) found a link between social media authenticity and positive longitudinal effects on users’ well-being, a finding supported by further research (e.g. Bailey et al., 2020; Bunker et al., 2024). While similar positive effects have been observed in offline contexts (Goldman and Kernis, 2002; Wood et al., 2008), recent studies suggest that the outcomes of social media authenticity may differ from those of offline authenticity. For example, Bunker et al. (2024) found that social media authenticity predicted better mental health outcomes than offline authenticity. In addition, Bunker and Kwan (2024) demonstrated that for young users, perceiving themselves as different on social media can also lead to positive well-being outcomes.

In the context of BeReal, both dimensions—interactions with strong ties and authenticity—play a crucial role in the design of the app. Specifically, users are encouraged to remain as authentic as possible while sharing their day-to-day experiences with a relatively small, self-selected social circle, that is, strong ties. However, as argued by Maddox (2023), BeReal users’ authenticity (authenticity-as-realness) differs from that found on other social media platforms (authenticity-as-performance), prompting further questions regarding the applicability of the previous authenticity-related findings in the context of BeReal. Nevertheless, Vanhoffelen et al. (2023) did not find a significant association between adolescents’ authentic self-presentations on BeReal and their self-esteem.

Comparing BeReal users (short- vs long-term) and non-users

As new social media platforms like Facebook emerged, research explored their early adoption, usage, and the differences between users and non-users. Studies found that users tended to have higher friendship quality and greater social capital compared to non-users (Antheunis et al., 2014; Lampe et al., 2013). Furthermore, social media use frequency has been linked to individual well-being (e.g. Lin et al., 2016; Sherlock and Wagstaff, 2019), with evidence suggesting well-being benefits from time-restricted use (e.g. Hunt et al., 2018; Twenge and Campbell, 2019). BeReal differs from other platforms by limiting content posting to a few minutes per day. While this may reduce opportunities for prolonged scrolling compared to platforms with unlimited feeds, it does not eliminate the potential for frequent engagement, as users can revisit the app multiple times a day.

Notably, some journalistic reports suggest that the individual experience with BeReal evolves over time. For example, Sun (2022) describes moving from strong opposition to finding BeReal “pleasantly boring” (para. 15) after a few days. Similarly, Cheong (2022) admits initial frustration with the app’s unpolished content but also eventually getting used to and enjoying the app. Although anecdotal and limited in quantity, these reports highlight a potential temporal aspect of BeReal use that merits further exploration, especially given the lack of scholarly attention to how social media use duration since adoption influences user experience. Pinch and colleagues (2024) also noted a shift in BeReal users’ focus over time, from valuing authenticity-as-realness to prioritizing their self-presentation. Therefore, in this study, we distinguish between short-term users (those who used the app exclusively during our study, spanning 10–16 days), long-term users (those who used it both prior and during our study), and non-users.

Friendship satisfaction

Friendship satisfaction, a key indicator of quality of relationships, is a significant predictor of well-being in the context of social media use (Deci and Ryan, 2000). Early research highlights the significance of social media in fostering perceived closeness within friendships, particularly among youth (Valkenburg and Peter, 2007). Their findings suggest that interacting with close ties on private platforms like Messenger enhances perceived friendship closeness. Antheunis and colleagues (2014) linked higher social media engagement with increased bridging and bonding social capital, while Vanden Abeele et al. (2016) highlighted that features like anytime connectivity and private channels contribute to companionship and emotional support. Drawing from the insights, we propose our first hypothesis:

H1. (a) Long-term and (b) short-term BeReal use is positively associated with friendship satisfaction over time compared to non-use.

The role of friendship satisfaction as a predictor of general life satisfaction has been relatively well established in the literature. This assumption is underscored by the work of Deci and Ryan (2000) who draw a positive link between friendship satisfaction and well-being. This is in line with earlier research emphasizing that satisfaction with social relationships, and feeling included and accepted by others are considered strong predictors of individual well-being (Baumeister and Leary, 1995). Chan (2018) further confirmed that friendship satisfaction, specifically in mobile-mediated communication, is positively related to well-being across all age groups. Building upon these insights, we formulate a hypothesis:

H2. Friendship satisfaction is positively associated with life satisfaction over time.

Connection overload and fear of missing out

The Permanently Online and Permanently Connected (POPC) mindset, introduced by Vorderer et al. (2018) and cultivated by the omnipresence of smartphones in our lives, offers further insight into the intricate relationship between social media use and well-being. The POPC mindset relies “on the assumption that attending to one’s smartphone is possible and goal-serving virtually everywhere and anytime” (Klimmt et al., 2018, p. 20). POPC mindset stems from the possibility of constant connectivity, resulting in habitual social media monitoring and continuous communication with other users (Vorderer et al., 2018). Klimmt and colleagues (2018) emphasize that being constantly online can have mixed effects on users’ well-being, potentially reducing feelings of loneliness but also increasing feelings of being overwhelmed.

In line with this reasoning, the concept of connection overload, characterized by feelings of being overwhelmed by social media use (LaRose et al., 2014), needs to be considered. Matthes and colleagues (2020) emphasize that different social media platforms impact perceived information overload to varying degrees, both positively and negatively. In the context of BeReal, the platform’s unique attribute of delivering only one notification per day² and limiting usage time might mitigate connection overload. However, the unpredictability of notifications and the need for daily content creation in a limited time could then counteract this effect as it accumulates over time, potentially leading to an overload. As asserted by Maddox (2023), BeReal users are constantly exposed to the prospect of posting, which creates a perpetual awareness of the potential for engagement. Given the evidence of effects in both directions and limited research on BeReal, we pose our first research question:

RQ1. How does the duration of BeReal use affect users’ feelings of connection overload?

Fear of missing out, often abbreviated as FoMO, is defined as “a pervasive apprehension that others might be having rewarding experiences from which one is absent” (Przybylski et al., 2013, p. 1841). Wegmann and colleagues (2017) distinguish between trait-FoMO, an individual characteristic, and state-FoMO, which arises from social media content exposure. These two types of FoMO have been found to be highly correlated (Balta et al., 2018; Hayran and Anik, 2021). The concept of FoMO is of particular importance in this study, as it has been found to impact the relationship between social media use and well-being (e.g. Barry et al., 2017; Przybylski et al., 2013).

BeReal users’ experiences with FoMO present a paradox. On the one hand, daily exposure to friends’ activities on the platform might trigger FoMO, as users might feel excluded from their peers’ experiences. On the other hand, authentic portrayal of everyday lives on BeReal could alleviate FoMO by revealing that others also routinely engage in mundane activities, unlike the often-idealized content on platforms like Instagram. This duality leads to our second research question:

RQ2. How does the duration of BeReal use affect users’ FoMO?

Previous research indicates that both FoMO and connection overload are negatively associated with life satisfaction and overall well-being. For instance, Matthes and colleagues (2020) found that perceived information overload from social media is longitudinally linked to depressive symptoms, thus indirectly negatively associated with psychological well-being. In addition, Barry et al. (2017) reported that FoMO correlates with anxiety and depressive symptoms, while Przybylski et al. (2013) established a connection between FoMO and reduced life satisfaction. Building on these premises, we form the third hypothesis:

H3. Both (a) FoMO and (b) connection overload are negatively associated with life satisfaction over time.

Reciprocal relationships

Recent studies have called upon an examination of bi-directional relationships in studying social media and well-being (Andrews et al., 2020; Luo and Hancock, 2020). Due to dynamic and changing social media landscapes, researchers emphasize the need to investigate how different well-being states influence social media usage patterns. For instance, positive experiences might drive individuals to engage in sharing photographs with close ties, while negative experiences could potentially lower engagement with social media or drive passive use. In the case of BeReal, it is plausible that only individuals with certain traits would decide to use the app and sustain long-term usage. For example, since FoMO has been found to predict the use of private social media (Franchina et al., 2018), and BeReal is designed for communication with close ties, FoMO might predict the adoption of this platform. Moreover, users with high levels of friendship satisfaction may be inclined to use BeReal to further strengthen relationships with their close ties. Similar argument could be made about each of our dependent variables. To that end, we pose our final research question:

RQ3. To what extent do (a) friendship satisfaction, (b) FoMO, (c) connection overload, and (d) life satisfaction predict the duration of BeReal use?

Method

We conducted a quasi-experimental two-wave online panel study as part of a large university lecture at the University of Vienna. We collected responses for the first wave of the study from 9 to 12 May 2023. At T1, participants were asked to complete a short survey regarding their social media use, friendship satisfaction, life satisfaction, FoMO, and connection overload. After completing the first survey, participants were asked to actively use BeReal until the second wave of the study. New users received download and usage instructions, while existing users were asked to continue using the app. Participants unwilling to download BeReal were asked to use any other social media app instead.

Participants received a link to the second questionnaire (T2) on 22 May and had time until 25 May 2023 to complete it. The mean time between completing the surveys at T1 and T2 was 12.97 days (SD = 1.28). The 12-day interval was chosen based on Dormann and Griffin’s (2015) recommendations for shorter time lags in panel studies, our goal of minimizing participant attrition, and anecdotal reports suggesting that BeReal’s user experience can shift notably after just a few days of use (Cheong, 2022; Sun, 2022).

In the second survey, we asked participants about their BeReal use and measured all the variables of interest for the second time (i.e. friendship satisfaction, life satisfaction, FoMO, and connection overload). Based on their answers, we grouped the participants into long-term BeReal users (i.e. participants who already used the app before the study and continued using it in between the two waves), short-term BeReal users (i.e. participants who started using the app because of the study and used it in between the two waves), and non-users (i.e. participants who decided to not use the BeReal app). For the group of short-term users, we checked their self-reported frequency of usage. Participants reported using the app most frequently every day (39.8%), followed by 7–9 days (26.1%), 1–3 days (20.5%), and 4–6 days (13.6%).

The Ethics Committee of the University of Vienna approved the study (ID 00949). Participants completed the study on their own devices and received course credits for participation. This study was not preregistered; however, the hypotheses were developed during the study design phase, ahead of data collection, and were informed by established theoretical frameworks and prior research.

Participants

At T1, N_T1 = 447 (M_age = 21.72, SD_age = 3.85, 81% female, 18.1% male, 0.9% other) participated in the study, and at T2 N_T2 = 365 (M_age = 21.69, SD_age = 3.54, 79.7% female, 19.2% male, 1.1% other) participated for the second time. Participants predominantly reported a middle level of education (84.9%), followed by high education (11.5%) and low education levels (3.6%). The attrition rate was 18.34% for the second measurement point.

The dropouts (N = 82) differed significantly from participants who completed both waves only in connection overload, t(445) = −2.72, p = .007, Cohen’s d = −.33. There was no significant difference between the two groups in their FoMO, t(445) = −0.24, p = .81, d = −.03, friendship satisfaction, t(445) = 0.81, p = .42, d = .10, and life satisfaction, t(445) = 1.67, p = .10, d = .21.

Measures

To be able to group the participants into different BeReal user categories, we asked the participants at T2 which statement describes their BeReal use best. Participants who chose the answer option “I have used the BeReal app before this study” represent the group of long-term BeReal users (N = 205), whereas participants who chose the answer option “I have not used the BeReal app before, but I downloaded and used it as part of this study” represent the group of short-term BeReal users (N = 88). Moreover, participants who chose the answer options “I used the BeReal app in the past but don’t use it anymore” or “I have never used the BeReal app, and I don’t want to use it” represent the non-users (N = 72).³ An overview of all measures used can be found in the Online Appendix on the Open Science Framework (OSF): https://osf.io/qdhfu/?view_only=054804483c614235b35d32060d2e3a39.

Data analysis

We analyzed the data with structural equation modeling (SEM) using the lavaan package (Rosseel, 2012) in R. We employed the robust maximum likelihood and full information maximum likelihood procedure, to account for the missing values. We controlled for autoregressive variables of the dependent variables (i.e. friendship satisfaction at T1 as a predictor of friendship satisfaction at T2). To test reciprocal relationships, that is, if well-being indicators predict short- and long-term BeReal use (both coded as dichotomous variables), we have additionally conducted logistic regressions that predict dichotomous outcomes. We ran two separate models due to the high number of parameters to be estimated. Data are available on OSF: https://osf.io/qdhfu/?view_only=054804483c614235b35d32060d2e3a39.

Results

To confirm metric longitudinal measurement invariance, we constrained all factor loadings across two time points. The constrained model had an adequate model fit: comparative fit index (CFI) = .99; Tucker–Lewis index (TLI) = .99; χ²/df = 1.23; p = .060; root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA) = .01, 90% confidence interval (CI) = [0.00, 0.03]. A nested model comparison showed no significant difference between the constrained and the unconstrained model, Δχ²(6) = 12.09, p = .059. The hypothesized model showed excellent model fit: CFI = .99; TLI = .99, χ²/df = 1.21; p < .01; RMSEA = 0.02, 90% CI = [0.00, 0.03].

In H1, we expected long-term and short-term BeReal use to have a positive association with friendship satisfaction over time compared to non-use as a reference category. The findings showed that long-term use at T1 positively predicted friendship satisfaction at T2 (b = 0.13, SE = 0.07, p = .05) compared to not using the app, confirming H1a. However, short-term BeReal use at T1 did not predict friendship satisfaction at T2 (b = 0.01, SE = 0.10, p = .939) compared to not using the app, thus, rejecting H1b.

Confirming H2, we found that friendship satisfaction at T1 is positively associated with life satisfaction at T2 (b = 0.13, SE = 0.05, p = .016). The results of the hypothesized model are presented in Table 1 and illustrated in Figure 1.

Table 1.

Structural equation model 1 results.

	Friendship satisfaction (T2)	Life satisfaction (T2)
Predictors	b (SE)	b (SE)
Age	.01 (.01)	.00 (.01)
Male	-.23** (.08)	-.09 (.07)
Diverse	-.13 (.11)	-.37 (.29)
Education (middle)	.14 (.18)	-.03 (.12)
Education (high)	.21 (.20)	-.04 (.15)
Short-term BeReal use	.01 (.09)	-.06 (.09)
Long-term BeReal use	.13* (.07)	.03 (.07)
Friendship satisfaction (T1)	.82*** (.07)	.13* (.05)
Life satisfaction (T1)		.82 *** (.06)
Adj. R²	.57	.80

N_Time1 = 447, N_Time2 = 365; T1 = Time 1, T2 = Time 2.

p < .05, **p < .01, ***p < .001.

Figure 1.

Differences between BeReal users and non-users.

To test our research questions, we tested a SEM model with FoMO and connection overload as the outcomes of long-term and non-use of BeReal as well as predictors of life satisfaction. First, we confirmed metric longitudinal measurement invariance by constraining all factor loadings across two measurement points showing acceptable model fit: CFI = .95; TLI = .94; χ²/df = 1.86; p < .001; RMSEA = .05, 90% CI = [0.04, 0.05]. A nested model comparison showed a difference between the constrained and the unconstrained measurement model, Δχ²(12) = 43.21, p < .001; however, the SEM model demonstrated adequate model fit: CFI = .95; TLI = .94, χ²/df = 1.62; p < .001; RMSEA = 0.04, 90% CI = [0.04, 0.05].

In RQ1, we asked how the duration of BeReal use affects users’ feelings of connection overload. The results revealed that long-term BeReal use at T1 negatively predicted connection overload at T2 (b = −0.16, SE = 0.08, p = .039) compared to short-term use as a reference category.

In RQ2, we asked how the duration of BeReal use affects users’ FoMO. The results demonstrated that long-term BeReal use at T1 negatively predicted FoMO at T2 (b = −0.22, SE = 0.10, p = .019) compared to short-term use.

In H3, we expected both FoMO and connection overload to negatively predict life satisfaction over time. Contrariwise, our results showed that neither FoMO at T1 (b = −0.00, SE = 0.03, p = .943) nor connection overload at T1 (b = 0.00, SE = 0.04, p = .964) predicted life satisfaction at T2; thus, we found no support for H3a and H3b. The results of the model are presented in Table 2 and illustrated in Figure 2.

Table 2.

Structural equation model 2 results.

	Fear of missing out (T2)	Connection overload (T2)	Life satisfaction (T2)
Predictors	b (SE)	b (SE)	b (SE)
Age	-.02 (.01)	-.01 (.01)	.00 (.01)
Male	.08 (.11)	.09 (.07)	-.09 (.08)
Diverse	-.03 (.19)	-.11 (.21)	-.50 (.26)
Education (middle)	-.29 (.27)	.01 (.12)	-.00 (.13)
Education (high)	-.31 (.28)	-.05 (.15)	-.04 (.15)
Non-use of BeReal	-.10 (.11)	-.12 (.09)	.05 (.09)
Long-term BeReal use	-.23* (.10)	-.16* (.08)	.09 (.08)
Fear of missing out (T1)	.78*** (.05)		-.00 (.03)
Connection overload (T1)		.67*** (.07)	.00 (.04)
Life satisfaction (T1)			.85*** (.06)
Adj. R²	.70	.59	.79

N_Time1 = 447, N_Time2 = 365; T1 = Time 1, T2 = Time 2.

p < .05, **p < .01, ***p < .001.

Figure 2.

Differences between short- and long-term BeReal users.

Finally, to test reciprocal relationships in RQ3, we conducted logistic regressions with friendship satisfaction, FoMO, connection overload, and life satisfaction predicting both short- and long-term BeReal use. As an answer to our RQ3d, we found a significant negative association between life satisfaction at T1 and short-term BeReal use at T2 (b = −.43, SE = 0.17, p = .010). This result shows that one unit of decrease in life satisfaction will change the log of count of short-term BeReal use by .43 estimate units. Other predictors did not show a significant relationship with both short- and long-term BeReal use. Thus, we found no associations as an answer to RQ3a, RQ3b, and RQ3c.

Discussion

To our knowledge, this study is the first to examine the relationship between the duration of BeReal use and several well-being indicators. We employed a quasi-experimental two-wave research design to assess differences in friendship satisfaction, connection overload, FoMO, and, ultimately, life satisfaction among short-term and long-term BeReal users, as well as non-users.

Our first hypothesis proposed that both long- and short-term BeReal use would be positively associated with friendship satisfaction over time compared to non-use. This expectation was based on social exchange theory and previous studies suggesting that engagement with close ties on social media (e.g. Valkenburg and Peter, 2007), as well as features such as anytime and anyplace connectivity (Vanden Abeele et al., 2016), both integral to BeReal, contribute to higher levels of perceived friendship quality. However, our findings suggest that only long-term BeReal use is linked to significantly increased friendship satisfaction, supporting the importance of sustained reciprocity in social exchange processes. This finding aligns with numerous journalistic reports (e.g. Cheong, 2022; Sun, 2022), suggesting that users’ engagement and perceptions of BeReal evolve over time. Our findings extend these anecdotal accounts, providing empirical evidence that long-term BeReal use is associated with higher friendship satisfaction.

These findings could be explained by two aspects of BeReal usage. First, BeReal distinguishes itself from other social media platforms through its unique features: it is exclusively mobile-based, encourages users to create authentic and spontaneous content viewable only by a self-selected close circle within a random, time-restricted window, and lacks elements such as likes or public follower/friend counts. Consequently, users might require more time to get accustomed to this novel platform and its unique features. This aligns with Hall’s (2020) conclusion that the Internet was once a novelty, and users also needed time to become familiar with this new technology. Moreover, Pinch et al. (2024) also note change over time in the BeReal user experience.

Second, while BeReal aims to facilitate daily interactions with users’ close ties, its design limits engagement by restricting posting frequency, potentially reducing interaction opportunities. Consequently, prolonged duration of BeReal use results in more chances to strengthen bonds with users’ close connections and keep the close circle of contacts updated about the daily happenings. Consistent with prior research, frequent social interactions enhance social capital (Nahapiet and Ghoshal, 1998), which is associated with improved well-being of social media users (Chang and Hsu, 2016)—a finding that is supported by our study. This outcome is in line with the theoretical concepts of social media as tools for bonding (Ellison et al., 2007) as well as relationship maintenance driven by the need to belong (Baumeister and Leary, 1995; Hall, 2020).

Next, we confirmed our hypothesis that friendship satisfaction would be positively associated with life satisfaction over time that is in line with extensive research demonstrating a direct positive link between friendship satisfaction and general life satisfaction (e.g. Baumeister and Leary, 1995; Chan, 2018; Deci and Ryan, 2000). Our study extends this body of work by providing evidence of this relationship within the specific context of BeReal.

Answering our first research question, the relationship between the duration of BeReal use and feelings of connection overload revealed that long-term use is associated with reduced connection overload compared to short-term use. As previously discussed, BeReal’s primary distinguishing feature is that users receive a single daily notification prompting them to capture a photo using the app within a 2-minute window. This notification is delivered to users at random, creating a constant awareness of potential engagement (Maddox, 2023). While push notifications have been linked to increased overload (Schmitt et al., 2018), it is important to note that BeReal’s notifications are limited compared to those of many other social media platforms, which often deliver a continuous stream of alerts for messages, posts, interactions, and algorithmically suggested content. For instance, Gen Z Snapchat users receive an average of 22 daily notifications, and Instagram users receive 14 (Statista, 2023b). Although comparable data for BeReal are unavailable, the app restricts notifications to a daily prompt and occasional alerts for late posts or interactions, keeping interruptions comparatively lower.

Moreover, the official description of BeReal states that it “won’t make you waste time” (App Store, 2023), implying less time spent on BeReal compared to other social media platforms. Most BeReal users spend less than 10 minutes per day engaging with the app (Statista, 2022b), while average daily usage on platforms like Instagram or TikTok exceeds 30 minutes (Statista, 2023a). This reduced usage likely minimizes cognitive and emotional strain, as BeReal imposes fewer demands on attention. Combined with the limited number of notifications, this may explain the negative association between long-term BeReal use and perceived connection overload. Furthermore, users may need time to adapt to BeReal’s unique user experience, potentially accounting for why these effects are more evident in long-term users. As Matthes et al. (2020) outlined, different social media platforms are associated with varying levels of user overload. This study extends the literature by exploring this relationship specifically within the context of BeReal.

Answering our second research question, we found a negative association between long-term BeReal use and feelings of FoMO. This supports Hall’s (2020) argument that directional communication (i.e. one-on-one or one-to-few, as in BeReal) fosters interactivity and inclusiveness, potentially reducing FoMO. The lower FoMO scores observed in long-term BeReal users may also be attributed to the type of content posted on the platform, as FoMO is intrinsically dependent on the consumed content. Unlike mainstream platforms, where users often highlight “special” moments of their lives, BeReal encourages sharing the mundane aspects of daily life (Maddox, 2023). This distinction offers new theoretical insights because the exposure to content that showcases ordinary, day-to-day activities may mitigate the onset of FoMO.

However, prior research highlights the evolving complexity of user behaviors on BeReal, which may influence the experience of FoMO. Pinch et al. (2024) found that, over time, users tend to resist BeReal’s spontaneity-focused prompts, instead adapting their posts to reflect a more curated and idealized self-presentation. Similarly, Reddy and Kumar (2024) suggest that, despite the platform’s emphasis on in-the-moment sharing, users might still curate their content to some extent. This shift could reintroduce aspirational elements and social comparison, potentially amplifying FoMO for some users. These findings highlight the need for future research to further examine how these behavioral shifts over time might affect the platform’s influence on FoMO.

In our third hypothesis, we anticipated a negative relationship between perceived FoMO, connection overload, and life satisfaction. However, this hypothesis was not supported, as no significant associations were found between these variables. This finding contradicts previous studies linking FoMO (Barry et al., 2017; Przybylski et al., 2013) and connection overload (Matthes et al., 2020) to reduced well-being among social media users. One possible explanation for this divergence could be the unique nature of BeReal. Its emphasis on spontaneous and authentic content, coupled with directional communication features and limited daily interactions, might influence how FoMO and connection overload manifest compared to mainstream platforms. Furthermore, life satisfaction is a trait variable, and prior research suggests that detecting the effects of social media use on such long-term indicators is challenging within short time frames, as these variables are less likely to shift compared to more state-like variables (Bailey et al., 2020).

Finally, to account for possible reciprocal relationships between observed variables, we posed our final research question regarding the extent to which our dependent variables predict BeReal use. We found no significant associations, except for a significant negative relationship between life satisfaction at T1 and short-term BeReal use at T2. This suggests that individuals with higher life satisfaction at the initial time point were less likely to start using BeReal. One potential reason could be that those satisfied with their lives do not feel the need to connect with their close ties through additional platform. Further research is needed to understand this negative association.

The findings of our study hold several practical implications. The observed relationship between long-term BeReal use and increased friendship satisfaction suggests that encouraging users to stay active on BeReal and foster meaningful interactions with their close ties could contribute to improved friendship satisfaction, which, as our study indicates, can positively predict life satisfaction. Furthermore, long-term BeReal use appears to reduce feelings of connection overload and FoMO. Taken together, these insights can inform the design of social media platforms by incorporating features that encourage direct and meaningful exchanges with close ties while limiting excessive content consumption. For instance, Instagram already offers features such as “Close Friends” in Instagram Stories, which allows users to share content exclusively with a select group. Similar to BeReal, Instagram Stories have an ephemeral nature, with content disappearing after 24 hours, which can reduce the pressure to curate or perfect posts (e.g. Bayer et al., 2015; Trieu and Baym, 2020). Both existing and emerging platforms could build on these features by prioritizing updates from close connections, offering tools to customize feeds, or implementing time-limited posting opportunities.

Limitations

The findings of our study need to be considered within the context of several limitations. First, the unequal user group sizes, with most participants already using BeReal before the study, might introduce bias. Second, we did not measure the exact duration of long-term BeReal use, which could have provided more insight into the observed relationships. This limitation may have introduced some variability within the long-term user group, potentially obscuring important distinctions in well-being outcomes between newer and more experienced users. Relatedly, the study did not measure the BeReal network size of users. Future studies should collect detailed usage data to address these limitations.

In addition, our sample consisted mainly of university students and females, limiting generalizability. Although this demographic reflects BeReal’s user base (66% female aged 18–24; Statista, 2022a), it still constrains the generalizability of our findings. Furthermore, we relied on self-reported data for both social media use and well-being indicators, which is a common practice in this area of research, but it is inherently subject to response bias or subjectivity (e.g. Araujo et al., 2017).

Moreover, we did not account for participants’ overall social media use and how BeReal fits into their broader platform ecosystem. Although we provide preliminary insights in the Online Appendix (https://osf.io/qdhfu/?view_only=054804483c614235b35d32060d2e3a39), we encourage future research to explore this aspect more comprehensively. Finally, our study did not explore all potential indicators of well-being related to social media use. Future research should investigate additional concepts such as approval anxiety or availability stress (see, for example, Hall, 2020) for a more comprehensive understanding of the relationship between BeReal use and well-being.

Conclusion

BeReal has rapidly become a popular social media app worldwide, and our study is the first to examine the connection between BeReal use duration and users’ well-being. Our research suggests that long-term BeReal use is associated with increased friendship satisfaction and reduced feelings of connection overload and FoMO. Furthermore, we expanded upon previous research by investigating whether the established associations between these indicators and life satisfaction hold true in the context of BeReal. Our findings indicate that increased friendship satisfaction positively predicts overall life satisfaction, aligning with prior research. However, we did not find support for the hypothesized negative connection between connection overload and FoMO. Overall, our findings highlight the potential benefits to individuals’ well-being stemming from prolonged BeReal use. We propose that these effects are likely attributed to the distinctive features of BeReal as the app encourages daily interactions with close ties, prevents excessive use, and potentially even provides a more authentic representation of everyday life. Future research should delve further into these unique platform features and their impact on users’ well-being.

Footnotes

Authors’ Note

Anja Stevic is now affiliated to Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA.

Funding

The authors received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

ORCID iDs

Jaroslava Kaňková

Anja Stevic

Alice Binder

Jörg Matthes

Notes

Author biographies

Jaroslava Kaňková (MSc, University of Vienna) is a PhD candidate at the Advertising and Media Psychology Research Group (AdMe) at the University of Vienna, Austria. Her research interests include social media effects, misinformation, and health communication.

Anja Stevic (PhD, University of Vienna) is a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Social Media Lab at Stanford University, CA, USA. Her research interests include social media and smartphone use, mobile communication, and online dating in relation to well-being.

Alice Binder (PhD, University of Vienna) is a Senior Scientist at the Advertising and Media Psychology Research Group (AdMe) at the University of Vienna, Austria. Her research interests include persuasive communication, health communication, targeted political advertising, and media effects on children and adolescents.

Jörg Matthes (PhD, University of Zurich) is a Professor of Communication and Vice-Chair of the Department of Communication at the University of Vienna, Austria. His research focuses on advertising effects, the process of public opinion formation, news framing, and empirical methods.

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Time to BeReal! Exploring users’ well-being in relation to BeReal use duration

Abstract

Keywords

Key features of the BeReal application

Social media use and psychological well-being

Comparing BeReal users (short- vs long-term) and non-users

Friendship satisfaction

Connection overload and fear of missing out

Reciprocal relationships

Method

Participants

Measures

Data analysis

Results

Discussion

Limitations

Conclusion

Footnotes

Authors’ Note

Funding

ORCID iDs

Notes

Author biographies

References