comScore
Uncategorized Thursday, January 19th 2012 at 2:15 pm

Study Finds Brain Characteristics Are Correlated With Internet Addiction

By ( ) Comments

It seems that with every new technological advancement, a panic arises over addiction to that advancement. Addiction to television, addiction to video games, addiction to Facebook, and of course, addiction to the Internet at large. Some people might want to shrug Internet addiction off as a “fake” problem, not a “real” addiction, but a new study has found that certain brain structure correlates with what is observed as Internet Addiction Disorder (IAD), brain structure that is present in other varieties of addicts.

The study involved quizzing 35 people between the ages of 14 and 25 about their Internet use and how they thought it affected their lives. Researchers asked them questions like whether or not they felt the need to hide their Internet use, or whether or not they consider themselves problem Interneters. Subjects that answered yes to 5 or more questions were considered to have IAD after symptoms were confirmed with friends and family.

Subsequent brain scans showed that IAD suffers had shrunken brain mass in areas thought to be associated with emotional expression, cognitive control, and focus. These characteristics are similar to the characteristics displayed by your more traditional addicts, addicts with heroin and alcohol problems, for example. This seems to suggest that Internet addiction may be a thing that really exists on a neurological level, not just a psychological one.

Of course, this doesn’t prove that too much Internet hurts your brain or makes you more prone to addiction. As with all correlation studies, this doesn’t neccessarily suggest that IAD causes these brain structures or that these brain structures cause IAD. It just means that the two tend to go hand-in-hand for some reason. Figuring out what that reason is will be the next step and like trying to determine any casual relationship, it won’t be easy. It will be important, however, considering that – so long as SOPA and PIPA don’t pass — the Internet isn’t going anywhere. I guess the upside is that there will be plenty of subjects to study.

(via Forbes)

Relevant to your interests

Filed Under | • • •
  • CEE2027

    35 people?  Hardly a large enough sample size to come to any serious conclusions.

  • alice

    SOPA and PIPA were not going to turn the Internet upside down. What it would do was give U.S. Attorney General power to do something about foreign piracy sites, much the same as they have power to do something about U.S. sites that violate existing laws regarding distribution of copyright products for profit and other IP right violations. 

  • http://Geekosystem.com Eric Limer

    I’ll admit that reference was half a joke, but SOPA and PIPA would do more than just extend the same takedown powers that exist under DMCA. It increases the likelihood that –and the speed with which– sites can have their advertising revenue cut off, which could mean death to sites during the time it takes to get accusations resolved, all without repercussions for false claims, a particularly large problem when such claims are often automated. Not to mention the introduction of jailtime, up to 5 years, is particularly terrifying.

    That being said, the reference was largely me poking fun at being alarmist, while also being alarmist.