This article provides an empirical examination of how online social networks affect subjective well‐being, namely enquiring
if networks mediate the effect of personality on subjective well‐being of the individuals who use those networks. We use
the theories of complementarity of face‐to‐face and online networks, preferential attachment, and the “Big Five Personality
Traits” to test the following hypothesis: Given that online and offline networks complement each other as integrative factors
that generate happiness, greater use of online networks would imply greater happiness. We also hypothesize that
networks mediate the effect of personality on subjective well‐being. Data was compiled from interviews of 4,922 people
aged 18 years and older, carried out by the Centre for Sociological Research of Spain in 2014 and 2016. The results confirm
the hypothesis and show how online networks, when controlled for personality traits, have a significant and even greater
effect on subjective well‐being than face‐to‐face networks.
