Facebook a Greater Priority Than Bathroom Trips in the Morning For U.S. Women

One-third of young American women check Facebook before brushing their teeth or going to the bathroom in the mornings, news.com.au reported Sunday.

New research reveals women aged 18 to 34 are becoming increasingly addicted and dependent upon technology and social networking sites.

One in five even said they woke up in the middle of the night to respond to wall postings, tweets and texts, while 37 percent have fallen asleep with their phones in their hands.

The study of more than 1,600 American social media users by Oxygen Media was conducted to chart online behavioral trends.

It also showed that although 63 percent of respondents used Facebook for networking, nearly half said they had no problem posting photos of their drunken selves on the site.

Other key findings of the study were that 79 percent are fine with kissing in photos posted on Facebook; 58 percent use Facebook to keep tabs on “frenemies”; and 50 percent are fine with being Facebook friends with complete strangers.

Meanwhile, a separate study out this week found that bosses who block Facebook actually hinder productivity in the workplace.

The book "Wellbeing: The Five Essential Elements," which draws upon Gallup Consulting research from more than 150 countries, identified five essential elements to overall wellbeing -- career wellbeing, social wellbeing, financial wellbeing, physical wellbeing and community wellbeing.

The book's co-author, Tom Rath, said that a person thriving in all five elements will be a better employee.

Part of the reason blocking Facebook and Twitter at work may prove detrimental is the book's finding that people need about six hours of social interaction a day, whether they were introverts or extroverts.

Gallup Consulting engagement manager Allan Watkinson said a part of that time would have to come in the workplace, and the prospect of staff spending hours logged onto social media sites worried some bosses.

"It scares employers that people are going to be sociable and not productive," Watkinson said.

"However, we found that if you can promote that tool and use it in an effective way, actually you are going to get higher productivity."