Slashdot Mirror
Heavy Internet Use Linked To Depression
An anonymous reader writes "People who spend a lot of time surfing the internet are more likely to show signs of depression, British scientists said on Wednesday. These 'internet addicts' spent proportionately more time browsing sexually gratifying websites, online gaming sites and online communities, Morrison said. They also had a higher incidence of moderate to severe depression than normal users."
Sad, so sad.
Oh, wait.
Faster! Faster! Faster would be better!
have you SEEN what's on there?
But it is not clear whether the internet causes depression or whether depressed people are drawn to it.
So, what we have here is an article with no actual basis for conclusions. Nothing to see here, move along
Maybe they are confusing cause and effect, if you are depressed, feel lonely, unable to get out of the house. Surely you are more likely to spend your time doing such indoor activies.
Shocking news: depressed people try to escape from reality!
Or depressed people spend more time on the internet. I hate it when they show an effect that could very well be the cause instead. Damn poor study, if you ask me.
more time browsing sexually gratifying websites, online gaming sites and online communities. What else is on the internet apart from Slashdot?
I hear that intelligence is also correlated to depression. In this case, is intelligence correlated to internet addicts? If so, it is quite contrary to our expectations.
In the long run this will also be likely linked to Aspergers Syndrome and other dissociative / personality disorders that we are diagnosing with much greater frequency today in that it reduces peoples interactions with actual human beings (at least vs our 'un-evolved' predecessors) to the point where children are not growing up with a firm grasp of social cues in relation to body language, tone of voice, etc....
Thank Christ I was raised in a time before 4chan....
---- The real Slashdot is still here. You just have to browse at -1 to read the comments.
Now I really feel depressed...
It takes a chicken to lay a chicken egg.
So if internet usage is indicative of depression, then it stands to reason that people who are prone to depression (social outcasts for one) would be inordinately engaged in that type of activity. The flow isn't internet leads to depression but rather that depression leads to internet.
All stereotypes have some basis in reality, so if we consider a significant fraction of internet users to be fat, ugly, borderline autistic, Cheetos and Doritos crunching, Mountain Dew swilling, World of Warcraft playing dweebs who used to get beat up in high school, then we can see how an activity that allows relative anonymity and essentially zero repercussions would attract this type of user. In turn, this type of user would tend towards clinical depression due to their social awkwardness and isolation.
These 'internet addicts' spent proportionately more time browsing sexually gratifying websites, online gaming sites and online communities
I thought thats all the internet is
Since this study doesn't really show anything conclusive, but only a correlation, it's not really any big deal. On the other hand, there's a lot of information on the Internet, and a lot of it is pretty depressing.
It's not enough to bash in heads, you've got to bash in minds. - Captain Hammer
I find my internet use helps keep me from having to interact with people face to face or on the phone. I'm all for it!
Rather meaningless really. Of the 1319 responses to an online questionaire 1.2% (yes, thats a whole 16 people) were deemed to be "addicts". "Many" of those were deemed to be depressed. Whats that a whole 10 people?
Noone ever answers these things less than 100% honestly, do they?
Smells more like they asked their questions, stated the conclusions they were hoping to prove but failed utterly at having the data to back them up.
How can the internet be depressing? There's pictures of people's cats, Slashdot, and porn. Is there anything else that I don't know about?
It will be interesting to see if the study examined sleep patterns of those who use the Internet to a far greater degree than others. Lack of sleep over an extended period of time has been linked to depression in many studies. Thus, the Internet surfing behaviors could be causing the subjects to get less sleep, thereby increasing the likelihood that they experience depression. The validity of the claim will come down to how well the study authors controlled for other variables, the overal validity of their methods, and whether or not other groups can replicate the results.
I use irony whenever I can, but my shirts are still wrinkled...
It looks like depressed people are more likely to spend time on the Internet.
"'internet addicts' spent proportionately more time browsing sexually gratifying websites"
Think how depressed they would be if they went to websites that weren't "sexually gratifying"!
Ninjas don't carry tic tacs
Didn't RTFA but this is the quick question that comes to mind when I read about all those studies... Also, what happens if you stop depressed people from using the Internet, do they feel better, worse, or the same?
"It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities." -- Prof. Dumbledore
I read the article, so already that disqualifies me to make a comment, but I will anyway.
In reading the article, I started thinking maybe I was depressed because I frequent those same types of sites listed in the article, with the exception of the sexual ones (as far as you know). I went to webmd and looked up the symptoms of depression. Luckily, I have none of the symptoms of depression and in many ways am just the opposite of those listed.
However, I spend an awful lot of time on the Internet and, frankly, just enjoy the Internet more than I do interaction with people. Sure, I can go to the pub and throw back a pint or two and that's fun sometimes but I'd almost certainly rather spend that same time hacking away on something on the computer or just browsing for fun.
So does that make me an Internet addict or does that make everyone else who enjoys personal/social interaction an attention whore?
And from TFA:
Reader be ware.
Correlation, causation, etc. Oh wait, it's even in TFA.
Some people go to bars and get drunk in order not to face reality
others use the interweb
more at 11
People that are happy go out, see friends, and do things.
excitingthingstodo.blogspot.com
People unhappy with their relationship status surf for porn ...
"Flame away, I wear asbestos underwear"
I'm in despair! The internet has left me in despair!
I would have to ask, did the scientists test the subjects prior to this study to find out how many had symptoms of depression, or have people in their family that have symptoms of depression before they ever show strong internet activity?
In our society, with all of the news that is about threats over our heads and the general push to become wealthy, many people are depressed, or show signs of depression. My suspicion is that heavy users of the internet find freedom and more happiness in their internet activity.
Life takes interesting turns, but the most interest is when you're off the beaten path.
How about: Awareness of the world makes people more depressed.
I'm missing the part where this study has produced anything of value.
"What is clear is that for a small subset of people, excessive use of the internet could be a warning signal for depressive tendencies."
You could just as easily say with just as much truth, "What is clear is that for a small subset of people, excessive *anything* could be a warning signal for depressive tendencies." But of course, that wouldn't produce anywhere near as much alarm and fear of the Internet.
No, I think the reason I, personally, am depressed is because I'm a heavy internet user and I'm stuck living in FUCKING CENTRAL KENTUCKY.
I'll grant this isn't a diagnosis applicable to everybody, but it's still worth looking in to.
I'm a graphic designer, it is REQUIRED that I sit on the internet 8+ hours a day gathering pdf's, emails, stock photography, free vector files, keeping up with social trends, web design, email design and taking short breaks browsing to 'switch' my mind to the next job. When I get home--by habit gained at the workplace--I check the news... cnn.com, salon.com, washington post and also prone to check facebook. So it is my job requiring me to be online which will eventually make me depressed. Seems that could be a legit argument against your workplace insurance in covering medical bills and could have even further repercussion?
Reminds me of an old "Life in Hell" where Binky has a choice between being Smart or Happy.
Floating in the black seas of infinity without a paddle.
The Romans, at least: Post hoc, ergo propter hoc.
It's kinda hard not to be depressed . . . thank you, Internet.
I scream. You scream. I assume that means we're both acquainted with the problem. We proceed.
Could it be the other way around? Depressed people are more likely to turn to the internet for solace and understanding, or a meaning in their lives?
Or some other ailment caused by not getting enough sunlight and fresh air.
I doubt they are playing wow or surfing porn in a nice sun-lit park.
Have you seen what those idiots post on web communities? You'd be depressed about the state of humanity too.
And no matter how much time I spend correcting these idiots, they keep posting more stupidity. As a result, **of course** I spend a lot of time online.
obviously no deficiencies vs. no obvious deficiencies
Better informed implies more depressed. End of story.
Only his tendency toward a dazed stupor prevented him from screaming aloud.
Heavy Internet usage.
Check some facts....
http://www.mindhacks.com/blog/2010/02/the_internet_depres.html
I've wasted my life.
You know, there is a difference between trolling and pointing out the flaws in your reasoning. Just saying.
But you can read the abstract for free.
were they getting depressed because of surfing, or were they escaping to surfing because of depression.
i, for one, know from myself that, at points in my life in which i was severely stressed, depressed or in a waiting period for some event (military service etc), was using computer games heavily as an escape and sedative. that way i was able to relieve some of the stress or depression i had. if you are busy with something, you dont get focused on your depression that much.
i dont think surfing is much different. if those people werent doing that heavy internet usage, they would probably be starting using mild drugs. internet is much better.
Read radical news here
Its my theory that thinking "correlation is not causation" causes a person to study statistics.
Word game?
In the title your use the word heavy, it could be a freudian slip that already provides the answer, has heavy means overweighted, think cartman from southpark playing wow, then correlation does not imply causation and therefore people could be getting depressed of their asses being nailed to a chair.
how about: excessive engagement in high stimulating activities such as the Internet, TV and online videogames, that ultimately depletes neurochemicals and at the same time causes a depression when experiencing less stimulating/normal activities? sometimes there really is too much of a good thing.
There's too much truth on the internet. If you're constantly faced with all the harsh realities of the world several inches in front of your face, on a regular basis, you're probably going to get depressed too.
"These 'internet addicts' spent proportionately more time browsing sexually gratifying websites..."
Funny, online porn never gets me down.
Scientist Miv333 says "bleeding is a likely cause of being stabbed" and "cancer is a likely cause of smoking." Some of these scientists today, need to learn some objectiveness.
I knew the infamous "Mr. Hands" and he was a nice guy. Loved his horses, obviously. Too bad it ended up that way. I'm depressed that the public freaked out over the whole incident.
I quite agree. So much of psychology is a matter of circular definitions; which quickly degenerates into psycho-babble that only accentuates the tenuous utility of the psychologists.
A person is depressed because they spend too much time on their computer; depression is related to computer use; computer use can cause depression; depression is a mental condition that is characterized by the behavior and social interactivity of people who enjoy computer usage; and so on.... Doesn't mean shit, but provides a paycheck to 'professionals' who can't understand why someone else would find C++ fascinating.
Ignore these people and you'll feel less depressed.
Slashdot Affective Disorder
Some privacy policy Slashdot.
"there are lies, damned lies and statistics"
Internet and TV - I am screwed too.
I fit this profile uncomfortably close, although my ratio of 'net to TV is about 90/10
Uh, Linux geek since 1999.
Maybe it's time to stop visiting Slashdot so much.
Would not this better be stated as 'people with higher instances of moderate to severe depression are more likely to spend time browsing sexually gratifying websites, gaming sites, and online communities'?
Koalas. They're telepathic. Plus, they control the weather. -Margaret
I'm from now on not devoting so much time to the Internet. I'm standing JUST NOW and stopping this whole nonsense of hours-long browsing...
Who cares, anyway?
Rome taught me patience and assiduous application to detail. Virtues which temper the boldness of great, general views.
Lonely people are more likely to be depressed and to spend time on the internet, and they spend proportionately more time browsing sexually gratifying websites, online gaming sites and visiting online communities. No surprise there.
It's kinda hard not to be depressed . . . thank you, Internet.
This is the internet. Pics/URL or it didn't happen.
There was VIDEO?! Good god. I'm so glad I've never looked at /b/...
I am often bored at work and browse the internet. This means that the internet leads to... wait, what?
A couple of plausible explanations seem likely:
a)Low sunlight exposure can lead to vitamin D deficiency. This is not exclusive to internet use, but any indoor activity
b)It's fairly well documented that a lot of people use the internet as a coping resource. In this case it may even have a protective effect, even though the correlation looks different.
c)Lack of exercise. Daily exercise is known to help maintain a good mood. In addition a stationary lifestyle could result in obesity, which may in turn result in low confidence and other problems.
d)Common causes. Some psychological illnesses cause people to withdraw from social interactions. Such people are more likely to spend time online.
e)Dietary correlations. Would anybody here be surprised if it turns out heavy internet users also often eat pizza and soda to a greater extent than others? I can tell you from personal experience than malnutrition can easily get you depressed rapidly
Basically there are too many plausible correlations to identify why this occurs. To simply hand-wave it away shouting "correlation is not causation" would not be rational, but there's so many reasons to expect these results that are not fundamentally due to something internet specific that the study seems to be of moderate interest at best.
Well, my (limited) research suggests that the first attested use of that phrase was in the 18th century. So although I'm sure some modern Romans thunk it, but the phrase isn't evidence that the ancient Romans thunk it.
Quidnam Latine loqui modo coepi?
I thought everyone had seen that video. That it was the XXXtreme version of Two Girls, One Cup. Hmmm . . .
I'll start you off soft with a news article, with no pic/vid . . . News item.
Then we'll ease you up to reax.
I'm not gonna link to the video itself. It falls under the heading of shit you cannot unsee. Suffice it to say, if you search for the terms "man fucked to death by horse" or "mr hands video" you will find it.
I remember seeing this video on Joe Rogan's blog (already off to a bad start) where he was talking about Two Girls, One Cup and expressing exasperation that anyone would care after all the vile shit that was posted on the internet way before that.
I scream. You scream. I assume that means we're both acquainted with the problem. We proceed.
They are correlated, so clearly there is a causal relationship.
False!
"These 'internet addicts' spent proportionately more time browsing sexually gratifying websites, online gaming sites and online communities..."
Ok, i know this is full of crap. I mean, this implies there's anything to the web other than "sexually gratifying websites." Give me a break, you can't fool us like that!!
Fascism: An authoritarian and nationalistic right-wing system of government and social organization. See also: NAZI's
Mind Hacks, the author of which was misquoted when the BBC ran the original story, notes:
This meta-analysis found that there was a statistically reliable link between internet use and depression, but one so small as to be insignificant. In fact, it found that internet was responsible for between 0.02% and 0.03% of total changes in mood (stats geeks: the variance was not reported directly but I calculated it from the r by the coefficient of determination).
In other words, internet use explains so little of a person's depression that it's irrelevant. It's like knowing that hypothermia is a serious medical condition and that drinking a glass of water reliably lowers the body temperature, but by such a small amount as to be medically unimportant.
No kidding!!! What do you say at this point?
I think mine is more likely.
But hey, the other way around is so much more useful, since it’s supporting the doctrines of the “censor everything we don’t understand” crowd, right? :/
Also, depression is not a disease. And it never will be. (Buy hey, that’s what you get when you ask “doctors”.)
It’s a symptom of something. Which itself can be called a disease.
1. Find all the causes (in case of an active repression, use a really deep therapy). Food, pollution, social stress, genes, etc. ... (Be patient!)
2. Remove/fix the causes, if possible. Or simulate removal so that it’s the same for the brain. (Start of processing.)
3. Re-train associations that went haywire as a result of the bad influence. (Re-learning processing.)
4.
5. HEALTH!
Only exception: Genetic diseases which can’t be healed YET (but will be, as soon as gene therapy is usable for it). For those you’d of course need “symptom ignorers” (like painkillers) complete replacements (like artificial hearts, etc).
Conclusion: Yeah, just keep ignoring the real causes, and find a scapegoat like “teh Intarnetz! OMGWTFBBQ!!!1!one’.
Sometimes I wonder: When someone would constantly run against a wall, head first, would they blame his headache on the Internet too...?
Any sufficiently advanced intelligence is indistinguishable from stupidity.
People who obsessively perform any activity are generally less than happy and healthy. Depression is often involved!
"When I get sad I clean my entire house top to bottom then I feel better. I do it 4 times a day"
"When I get angry I go for a run. Sometimes I run until my body collapses and I fall down twitching covered in vomit and tears"
"When I don't want to face my life or make choices, I play WoW all day!" --me
I'm really tired of all the lame ass qualifying and CYA people do. Taking a piss may cause herpies! Drinking mochas may cause intestinal distress! You can't sue us for anything because we said "may"! It leads to such sensationalist, ridiculous articles than seep into your consciousness and waste brain space. Also it leads to poorly typed, all caps emails from my Republican Christian mom about how its "proof the world is ending" and what have you. Exhausting!
If you spend all of your time on the internet you will not be spending time on building a life, so when you get off of the computer and see that you have nothing going on you are going to feel depressed.
But it is not clear whether the internet causes depression or whether depressed people are drawn to it.
So, what we have here is an article with no actual basis for conclusions. Nothing to see here, move along
No, what we have here is a questionable conclusion on a paper, drawn from a line quoted out of context.
It might not have actual basis for a definite conclusion, but it does have actual data and observations with which to draw relations and directions for further research that might lead to a conclusion (or at least a framework for psychological diagnosis, prevention and treatment.)
There is a lot see here, move along if you can't see it.
The more I read about this, the worse it makes me feel.
Ninjas don't carry tic tacs
Damnit, beaten.
Depression is probably more the cause of heavy internet use than the symptom. I know when I'm not feeling up to par I'd rather be online than dealing with the "real world"; I assume others feel the same way. Add to that the number of resources available online (not all good ones, but some very useful, including communities where you can discuss your depression and get help or get advised to see a therapist) and you have a really big draw for people who don't feel capable of dealing with society at any given moment.
I knew someone once who was generally quite depressed every single day (albiet not professionally diagnosed), who lived for WoW, nearly 8-10 hours a day (much more on weekends). No matter what degree of persuasion that I tried to give her, she was convinced that WoW was the answer, not the source. I thought it might be helpful to enjoy real life again for a while, and not count on that dependency.
I also knew someone who played Everquest that, IRL, was clincally diagnosed as depressed and nearly bipolar. I was often told by him that after long bouts of the game, these tendencies would get worse. He would then start to exhibit those behaviors in game, and in the real world.
With gaming, I think it might be possible that people get depressed because they realize its an addiction, and it makes them depressed upon realizing they have a problem. The cycle then begins and continues on and on. Thats why I think these studies really should include more than browsing before coming to a conclusion.
Oh that video... I saw that years ago.. I just didn't realise he died. Given the size of some of the objects I've seen placed in various human orifices during the odd visit to the less reputable areas of the internet I guess that possibility never occurred to me.
Ah the internet.. such a wonderful tool.
Which ones are those? I haven't found any; I've only seen sexually frustrating websites. It's less satisfying than going to a strip club or even just "reading" Playboy.
The study merely states an interesting coincidence that may be worth studying further. All of a sudden people here are questioning the motives behind the study, whether or not they controlled for signs of depression before heavy internet usage, and getting angry because of this or that... If someone were to do a study to show that heavy internet usage causes depression, then yes, they would have to control for pre-existing signs. This study only shows that these two statistical phenomena match in a statistically significant way. However, then some have countered that there's "nothing to see here" or that this article is useless. Maybe I'm just more interested in how actual research gets done (observation --> testing --> conclusion) instead of what people seem to demand (conclusion --> proof). I got no sense from this that it is an attempt to incite panic or fear of teh interwebs; it is merely an interesting observation that may warrant further study into the causal relationship (if any) between heavy internet usage and depression, or other factors that might lead these two phenomena to correlate.
wtf is /B/?
perhaps people who are depressed and lonely and bored look to the internet for ways to make themselves feel better. why should this be surprising?
Remember kids, if you're not paying for the service, YOU ARE THE PRODUCT THAT IS BEING SOLD.
Finally, I have acquired the evidence to prove my theory that depression is actually caused by being reminded that correlation is not causation every time you read a news summary.
Now I find it strange that an insurance company wanted to cut off a depressed person's benefits once they asked the ISP for their internet log. If they can surf for 12 hours a day they can easily do a job, like typing, for 8 hours a day. No more benefits for you!
So, I've read through the comments on this topic and from what I'm getting is that correlation is NOT causation? Please explain.
A unique way to learn a language: http://languageloom.com
The research, as reported in TFA, is full of holes.
As a for instance: is looking at topless models on your pc at the bank considered "internet use"?
If so, a lot of people spend all day at work engaged in "heavy internet use" (which might be the source of their depression I suppose).
Is that you?
I whole heartedly agree, i was depressed for 17 years before i even got a computer, getting a computer was the best thing that ever happened to me, it was a P.O.S and constantly broke down, which led me to my future in fixing computers and ultimately happiness, instead of constantly trying to figure out ways to "do myself in" i was trying to work out what would be the better graphics card to buy so i could play Devil May Cry :P Being withdrawn and shy also didnt help me, but once i joined certain internet gaming sites and chat rooms i can now handle visitors in the real world, and find i am way more productive now than i was being a zombified drone. As for the sexual content, damn i have never been so horny in my life so surfing porn is a plus :P Yes i am a woman!
I have been suffering from depression since I was a kid, i just turned 42 and the internet has been a big part of my adult life and to be honest the gaming, has helped me with my depression, people around me think I spend too much time on it but to be honest, I find more people I have in common with online than I do in the real world, and that might have had something to do with my depression as a child as well, most of my friends. I dont like to say it werent as tech savvy or bookish as I was and that always made me sad. I play wow, but only maybe about 6 hours to 10 hours a month, I play quakelive more often than other games. and my work is a web developer as well so most of my time is spent online, but i refuse to do meds, I have tried them and was not impressed with the results, If i want to be numb to the world I would go back to drinking. So in all honesty I think when they were researching, that it causes depression I believe they were looking at the wrong question, and getting the wrong answer.
Ok. Ok. We all get that correlation does not imply causation. Please stop saying that now - everybody knows.
guess they didn't do their do their homework.
All the internet has done has made people more aware of the crap that goes on in other parts of the world.
Made it so communication is instant.
Made it so we don't have to leave our homes anymore.
But guess what? Just because you hear of stuff more now, doesn't mean it's happening more.
The reason it may seem like more people are depressed is not because of the internet, it's because more people now understand what depression is, and will do something about it (see a doctor, etc) then before. The stigma associated with it isn't like it used to be. It's okay to see a shrink now, where 20+ years ago it wasn't as much.
Society isn't getting worse off, what is happening is the crap you didn't know about, or ignored before, is easy to get to now the internet. That's the only difference.
Be seeing you...
In other news, "researchers" with a less Luddite agenda might have drawn the reverse conclusion: depressive people are more likely to heavily use the internet.
While there are many causes of depression, we can be reasonably sure that the internet is not causing any of it. However, depressive persons suffer from social problems as a result of their disease and those are problems that can be partially compensated by substituting actual face to face activities (that are often difficult for patients suffering from depression) with interaction through the internet.
"People who spend a lot of time drinking alcohol are more likely to show signs of depression, British scientists said on Wednesday. These 'alcoholics' spent proportionately more time drinking alcohol, Morrison said. They also had a higher incidence of moderate to severe depression than normal users."
What the hell? I LOVE my life and I do all the activities described in the summary. Maybe I'm an anomaly, or just a satisfied underachiever. But I think I'm better off than those super-driven guys who almost never achieve happiness.
*BANG*
LOST CARRIER
In all seriousness, I have been addicted to Internet and computer for 4 years or so, but contrary to the article I have never been so "tension-free". But after reading this, I got a really bad episode of depression or whatever...
So could this be Placebo or a reality-check?
I think it would be more appropriate to say "depression is linked to increased internet use". It makes much more sense. I know MY depression definitely did.
"People who spend a lot of time visiting hospitals are more likely to die shortly thereafter, Slashdot scientists said on Wednesday. These 'hospital visitors' suffered proportionately more illnesses, ailments and injuries, CmdrTaco said. They also had a higher incidence of moderate to fatal conditions than normal people."
Sigh. I thought the point of research was to discover, inform and enlighten. Not just "research for research's sake".
- Edward -
Perhaps being informed of what is really going on is the cause of depression.
I offer this theory: The leading cause of depression is the truth on how the world really works. The rich get richer, the poor get poorer; the criminals have more right sthen the victims, and the corruption just keeps getting worse.
-=[ Who Is John Galt? ]=-
We have an age old saying in Finland which goes "Tieto lisaa tuskaa.", roughly translated as "Knowledge brings anguish".
Go outside, nerd.