Social networks quietly affect the life of modern society, and we do not notice how we slowly become addicted. Scientists cited several examples of how social networks changed user priorities.
Jealousy
Most people practice monitoring their partners on social networks. 35% of respondents admitted that as a result, suspicion for online friends was groundless, but social networks still poison the lives of many couples. Facebook turned out to be the cause of one of the five divorces in the United States, and in the UK every third couple breaks up because of this online kind of jealousy.
Updates
Researchers conducted a survey in which 80% of volunteers admitted that they could not give up the habit of checking their page on social networks at least once a day. A third of respondents agreed that they refresh the page with painful regularity, and this proves that the dependence on social networks is no less intense than nicotine. Also people got addicted to what others think about them, the more followers they have, the happier they feel (click here).
Work
Many employers block access to social networks on the work computers of their employees, which, according to experts, negatively affects their productivity. It turned out that distraction on social networks is a kind of relaxation for the brain and makes it possible to put in order thoughts, so people who have access to social networks at work make their chores 9% more efficiently.
Happiness
Many find social networks useful because you can see many like-minded people and just exciting personalities with whom it is interesting to communicate. Often, people on the network contrast sharply in behavior with real life; for example, being uncommunicative in reality, they can be trendy in social networks. However, the feeling of happiness that the Internet gives is also becoming addicted.
Depression
Many people use social networks to talk about the positive aspects of their life, for example, boasting of shopping and traveling. Therefore, their subscribers have the impression that everyone except for them has a beautiful experience full of joy, which provokes depression. However, this is the second side of the coin, when people who are accustomed to publishing only the positive about their lives cannot complain about problems for fear of condemnation.
Friends
Social networks provide many opportunities to show the worst personality traits, and even the most insignificant facts can harm long-standing friendships. For example, many may take it personally if their expectations were not met, for instance, with regards to a comment from friends or the number of likes. Experts recommend that you do not replace full-fledged friendship in reality with communication on the network. Moreover, often friendships and conversations outside the Internet are brighter and more sensual, and in this way, you can make real friends.
Appearance
Social networks make people feel ugly because of too idealized photos. According to the survey, 75% of Facebook users are dissatisfied with their presence, and 51% of them came to this opinion because of comparing their photos with strangers.
Sleep and the Internet
Scientists conducted a study and found a connection between the high-speed Internet and the sleep time of respondents. The results were presented in the Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization.
An analysis of the data showed that amateurs using broadband internet on average have 25 minutes less time to relax. Moreover, people with high-speed Internet slept less than six hours 25% more often than those who did not have such access. The influence of the Internet on sleep is a real problem among people aged 18 to 30 years. In this age category, the difference in sleep time was 70 minutes.
Access to high-speed Internet also affects sleep quality. According to the study, respondents often woke up and were not satisfied with their sleep if they used the fast Internet.
Brain changes of people with Internet addiction are similar to changes after alcohol and cocaine use. This is evidenced by the results of a study conducted by a group of Chinese scientists led by Hao Lei from the center of magnetic resonance research in Wuhan.
Scientists performed magnetic resonance with 17 adults with Internet addiction and then compared the results with data from 16 healthy people. It turned out that in the areas of the brain responsible for the emotional processing of data, decision-making, and cognitive control, Internet addicts have a lesion of white matter. Similar disorders in mind were recorded with alcohol and cocaine.
What to do?
- Learn time management online;
- Think over all the benefits and harms of the Internet;
- Raise awareness, ask the question “why have I just opened Facebook”.
- Install the controller application
- Learn to manage emotions and control impulses
- Find an alternative activity