Korean slang profile
카페인 우울증
kapein uuljeung
An expression for a sense of deprivation or low mood felt when comparing one’s life with others’ daily lives on social media.
An expression for a sense of deprivation or low mood felt when comparing one’s life with others’ daily lives on social media.
- Expanded form
- 카카오스토리·페이스북·인스타그램 + 우울증카카오스토리·페이스북·인스타그램 + 우울증 (KakaoStory, Facebook, Instagram + depression)
- Other spellings
- —
- Earliest source found
- Feb 9, 2023
- Documented trend period
- Not verified
This is the earliest source we have verified, not the date the term was coined.
01Examples, with English translations
- Example by Julimmal
SNS 속 일상과 나를 비교하는 마음을 다룬 글에서 카페인 우울증이라는 표현을 접했다.
I came across 카페인 우울증 in an article about comparing oneself with social-media lives.
02Documented history
- 2023-02-09The 헬스조선 source used the expression ‘카페인 우울증’.[1]
03Origin & word formation
The source explains it as formed from the initial syllables of KakaoStory, Facebook, and Instagram. This entry treats it as a term for social-media comparison rather than medical diagnostic criteria. Who first used it and when could not be established.
Evidence for the origin explanationMedium
The explanation and usage were compared directly with the evidence. Who first coined it and when it was first used could not be established.
04Sources
Original titles and links are preserved. An English translation does not replace the original source.
- 인스타 볼 때마다 박탈감·우울감… 나도 '카페인 우울증'? (헬스조선)Published Feb 9, 2023Original source checked Nov 13, 2026