Is Internet Addiction Real? This Is How Too Much Internet Use Affects Us!

Most Steemians are quite heavy Internet Users, right?

We spend several hours a day in front of screens, connecting with others on social media, googling, playing games, shopping online, watching videos and more.
So we all like to use the Internet - but did you know that you can actually be addicted to the Internet?

Studies have shown that internet usage may actually cause physiological changes and users might experience withdrawal symptoms!

Internet withdrawal: similar symptoms to drug withdrawal?

Swansea and Milan Universities have conducted two different studies regarding this topic, the first one in 2013.
60 participants in their twenties were given psychological tests to determine addiction levels, mood, depression and anxiety.
Afterwards, they were granted access to the internet for 15 minutes and were then re-tested.
This study showed that heavy internet users experienced negative moods and tended to be more depressed when not using the internet, symptoms similar to drug users who experience withdrawal.
A control group of non-internet addicts showed no difference in mood levels before and after using the internet!

"Although we do not know exactly what internet addiction is, our results show that around half of the young people we studied spend so much time on the net that it has negative consequences for the rest of their lives. When these people come off-line, they suffer increased negative mood - just like people coming off illegal drugs like ecstasy. These initial results, and related studies of brain function, suggest that there are some nasty surprises lurking on the net for people's wellbeing. These results corroborate previous reports regarding the psychological characteristics and traits of internet users, but go beyond those findings to show the immediate effect of the Internet on the mood of those who are addicted."

-Prof. Phil Reed, Swansea University

Increased heart rate and anxiety

In Swansea University's second study from 2016 about this topic, they tested participants between 18 and 33.
The subjects' vital signs were measured before and after internet use, and the results have shown that internet withdrawal increased heart rate and blood pressure by 4%, sometimes even double that figure. The symptoms ended immediately when the participants were allowed to use the internet again.
Anxiety levels were also rising for those who use the internet heavily - others didn't show any negative withdrawal symptoms.

"We have known for some time that people who are over-dependent on digital devices report feelings of anxiety when they are stopped from using them, but now we can see that these psychological effects are accompanied by actual physiological changes."

-Prof. Phil Reed, Swansea University

Although these symptoms are not life-threatening, it seems like internet addiction has actually become a real, physical condition.

The symptoms that heavy internet users experienced can be associated with anxiety, and with changes to the hormonal system which could reduce immune responses.
Researchers also concluded that withdrawing the internet from heavy users puts them in a similar state like withdrawal seen for many "sedative" drugs such as alcohol, or heroin.

"Whether problematic internet use turns out to be an addiction - involving physiological and psychological withdrawal effects - or whether compulsions are involved that do not necessitate such withdrawal effects - is yet to be seen, but these results seem to show that, for some people, it is likely to be an addiction."

-Prof. Roberto Truzoli, Milan University

Internet addiction could make you ill ?!

Like mentioned above, the anxiety experienced from internet withdrawal could even make changes to our immune system - making heavy internet addicts more prone to diseases.
In a study featuring 500 participants aged 18 to 101 , those with internet addiction showed 30% more cold and flu symptoms than those with less dramatic internet usage.
Internet addicts may suffer from great stress when being withdrawn from the internet, and this cycle of stress and relief may
lead to increased levels of cortisol - a hormone that influences our immune function.

Apart from that, heavy internet addicts are also more likely to drink more alcohol, smoke more, and suffer from sleep deprivation.

"We found that the impact of the internet on people's health was independent of a range of other factors, like depression, sleep deprivation, and loneliness, which are associated with high levels of internet use and also with poor health. It may also be that those who spend a long time alone on the internet experience reduced immune function as a result of simply not having enough contact with others and their germs."

-Prof. Phil Reed, Swansea University

Watch this video from Swansea University about their internet addiction study:

How many hours a day do you use the internet? Would you say you're dependant on it or could you stop easily?

Images: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

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