Facebook, Twitter lowering your confidence?

The poll also found that more than half said these sites had altered their behaviour, especially suffering a negative impact from social media. Two-thirds said they were unable to relax or to doze off after spending time on the sites.

And one quarter of those polled said they had been left facing difficulties in their relationships or workplace after becoming confrontational online, the Telegraph reported.

In total, 298 people were polled by Salford Business School at the University of Salford, for the charity Anxiety UK. Of those, 53 per cent said the launch of social networking sites had changed their behaviour and of those, 51 per cent said the impact had been negative.

The research also demonstrated the addictive powers of internet, with 55 per cent of people saying they felt "worried or uncomfortable" when they could not access their Facebook or e-mail accounts.