Researchers in China have been studying the brains of people addicted to the Internet. They found changes in the brain matter of these individuals and are suggesting that more research will help us find treatment approaches specifically for this kind of addiction.
Internet Use
As we continue into the age of technology, we are finding more things to do on the Internet. We don’t just use it to gather basic information anymore – we manage data, we communicate with others, and we conduct business on the Internet. We as a society spend more time on the Internet every passing year, and this is not necessarily a bad thing. Many people work while online, or are able to research a variety of things, or shop, or stay in touch with others – all things that are harmless; even “necessary”.
Internet Addiction
Most people who use the Internet are not addicted to it, even if they do waste more time surfing the web than they know they should. But for an estimated 5 to 10 percent of Internet users, being online is an addiction. (1) Instead of using the Internet because “modern life requires us to link up over the net in regard to jobs, professional and social connections – but not in an obsessive way”, some people cannot stop, says Henrietta Bowden Jones, consultant psychiatrist at Imperial College, London. “It is different. When someone comes to you and says they did not sleep last night because they spent 14 hours playing games, and it was the same the previous night, and they tried to stop but they couldn’t – you know they have a problem. It does tend to be the gaming that catches people out.” (1)
Gaming Addiction
It is the gaming that is the most addicting. Someone addicted to Internet gaming will function just like a drug addict. “The majority of people we see with serious internet addiction are gamers – people who spend long hours in roles in various games that cause them to disregard their obligations. I have seen people who stopped attending university lectures, failed their degrees or their marriages broke down because they were unable to emotionally connect with anything outside the game,” said Jones. (1)
Researchers in China who looked at the brains of Internet addicts found impairments in the areas of the brain that deal with emotions, decision making, and cognitive control. This is new information, and the hope is that it can be used to treat people with Internet addictions. However, the study itself, and others like it, still have not been able to determine if changes in the brain are a cause or consequence of addiction. Some theorize that some people’s brains are more susceptible to addiction because they have these abnormalities. More studies will need to be done to understand why some people become addicted to things like the Internet while others can manage their time on it responsibly.
Sources
(1) Addicted! Scientists show how internet dependency alters the human brain
Internet Addicts Show Brain Matter Changes
Internet addiction affects the brain ‘like a drink or drug problem’
