At this point in time, it's pretty widely known that social media is horrible for us. It makes us sad. It makes us lonely. It makes us jealous. It makes us boring.  

Oh, and it gives us obesity, diabetes, and back and neck problems

Yet many of us spend more time than we wish to admit -- or even realize -- on social media. 

Why?

Read any good books lately? I have: Peggy Ornstein's New York Times bestselling Cinderella Ate My Daughter: Dispatches From the Front Lines of the New Girlie-Girl Culture. 

After finishing a chapter about Mattel and the American Girl Dolls, I was particularly struck by one of Ornstein's observations: ​

A few months ago, I was asked to answer this question on Quora: 

"If you were a 17-year-old out of high school, what would you do with your life?

I tested out of high school two years early, and lately I've just become so stuck and cynical of life. I don't know what I'm missing and why I'm stuck. I don't know where to move on to.

I've been going to talk therapy once a week (which barely helps)."

***

I'm not a licensed clinical psychologist or anything, but I do have a bachelor's and master's in psychology from Stanford. So here's my take on your situation, which is based on many assumptions that may or may not be true.

You are a high-achieving individual. You are talented and gifted, and you worked hard enough to test out of high school two years early. That's really great. Congratulations on your achievements.

BUT. There is a cost associated with your achievements. 

I recently published Boring People Lead Boring Lives, which discussed how passive entertainment stunts leisure skill development. I also wrote about the dangers of boredom:

I thought I'd follow up with a story about how iPads destroy creativity, curiosity... and even language and other cognitive skills.