The study, published Monday, shed light on how different kinds of posts can affect a social media user’s emotions, which can influence overall mental health. .

Jessica Myrick, study co-author and a Pennsylvania State University professor who studies the psychology of media use, told NBC News that viewing memes won’t necessarily cure you of all stress.

“People said that after they viewed the memes, they were more content, or amused or relaxed,” said Myrick, who co-authored the study with Nicholas Eng, a Bellisario College of Communications doctoral student at Penn State, and Robin Nabi, professor of communication at University of California, Santa Barbara.

“They then reported that they were more confident in their ability to cope with the stress associated with living during this pandemic era,” Myrick said.

The research comes amid a fresh wave of skepticism about the impact social media has on mental health, as young women in particular are subjected to highly edited, unrealistic beauty standards.

Participants who viewed images with Covid-related captions reported lower Covid-related stress levels.

Viewing the same image with a caption not related to Covid didn’t reduce Covid-related stress, but participants reported feeling more positive emotions than those who viewed the Facebook-like text boxes. .

Participants who viewed Covid-related memes reported thinking more deeply about what they saw than when they viewed non-Covid memes, in addition to reporting feeling less stressed about the virus. .

The fact that participants reported thinking more deeply about the Covid-related examples shows that memes can be an effective communication tool for spreading information. .

Ricky Sans, Instagram’s strategic partner manager for memes — a role he described as a “meme liaison" for creators — said large meme accounts pivoted to posting lighthearted Covid-related content last year.

The fact that participants who viewed cute memes reported more positive emotions than participants who only saw text boxes points to how different types of content can influence mood.

This study, Myrick said, indicates how people can navigate social media more mindfully