Associations between emotion recognition and social networking site addiction

•Social networking site (SNS) addicts showed poor performance in recognition of negative emotions.•The conflict in relationships of SNS addicts was associated with positive and negative emotion recognition.•The weak ability of positive emotion recognition predicted SNS addiction. With the widespread use of the internet today, many studies have been conducted regarding the use of social networking sites (SNS). Despite the growing literature on the effects of SNS on human life, there are limited successful therapeutic interventions for SNS addiction. Our study aimed to elucidate the potential role of emotion recognition in the development of SNS addiction and to propose novel strategies for alleviating problems emerging from SNS addiction. A total of 337 individuals participated in the study. A sociodemographic data form, the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test (RMET), and the Social Media Addiction Scale (SMAS) were administered. The results revealed the presence of emotion recognition deficits among individuals with SNS addiction, relative to non-addicts. RMET positive and negative scores were associated with SNS addiction in a negative direction. Additionally, RMET negative scores predicted SNS addiction. Our findings indicate a possible link between SNS addiction and emotion recognition, which might serve as a crucial target in novel treatment strategies.