In June, Facebook announced the results of a sweeping study conducted among its users. For months, Facebook manipulated the newsfeeds of 700,000 of its users—taking away some positive updates for some, negative updates for others—and they found these altered feeds had a significant impact on users’ moods. Those whose feeds were tweaked to sound more negative were inclined to be a little grumpier in their own updates, while those whose feeds were more positive posted happier updates.

The results were interesting, but most people weren’t as interested in the findings as they were angry with Facebook for playing around with their newsfeeds in the first place.

Facebook since has issued an apology.

“Our goal never was to upset anyone,” said the study’s lead researcher Adam Kramer. “I can understand why some people have concerns about it, and my coauthors and I are very sorry for the way the paper described the research and any anxiety it caused. In hindsight, the research benefits of the paper may not have justified all this anxiety.”

As Salon.com‘s Mary Elizabeth Williams writes, “Companies experiment with our heads all the time. Their business profits rely on knowing we want our soda brown and our mouthwash green. They know how potent our loyalty and nostalgia can be. The difference is those of us who use Facebook to see our friends’ vacation photos and discuss what Firefly character we’d be often forget it’s a product.” (Salon.com)

Paul Asay has written for The Washington Post, Christianity Today, Beliefnet.com and The (Colorado Springs) Gazette. He writes about culture for PluggedIn and wrote the Batman book God on the Streets of Gotham (Tyndale). He recently collaborated with Jim Daly, president of Focus on the Family, on his book The Good Dad. He lives in Colorado Springs with wife, Wendy, and his two children. Follow him on Twitter.