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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."
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.
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.
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.
Porn, untold amounts of porn, and untold amounts of geeks' fantasies never being fulfilled.
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.
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
Judging from my own experiences as someone who has suffered from depression for roughly half of my life (and someone who has attempted to end it), I would have to say that depression is the cause, and heavy internet use is the symptom. It's an escape mechanism. Instead of constantly thinking of death, you can get on the Web and try to distract yourself.
SSC
What if the internet is caused by depression?
A question asked in the RA. '"Excessive internet use is associated with depression, but what we don't know is which comes first -- are depressed people drawn to the internet or does the internet cause depression?," Morrison said.'
There's a third possibility which the article fails to consider: rather than one causing the other, perhaps both are caused by something else. For example, the person who has difficulty forming satisfying sexual relationships is perhaps likely to get depressed about that and to spend "proportionately more time browsing sexually gratifying websites". The whole thing gets muddy, because that can then form a feedback loop.
Obligatory link.
Quidnam Latine loqui modo coepi?
I think there might be more truth to that comment than we imagine..
"Oops, I always forget the purpose of competition is to divide people into winners and losers." - Hobbes
That question ("we don't know is which comes first -- are depressed people drawn to the internet or does the internet cause depression?") can also be answered with: "both". The two are not mutually exclusive. It's a chicken and egg question, and in this case any of the two may be true in different scenarios. You're definitely right about the feedback loop -- it would be the same with alcohol or drugs in this sense (one could lead to the other, which would then lead to more of the first).
Entomologically speaking, the spider is not a bug, it's a feature.
Cause or effect?
They don't know! Thats what TFA says TWICE! Also why they don't say so in the summary and you need us to get that from the article for you.
Didn't RTFA
Thanks for admitting that though, there are long debates going on above where no one has read the article cept for my little addendum comments like this one.
BTW peoples this article is less than a page long.
Couldn't internet addiction, be part of a feedback cycle keeping you depressed? Less sun, less contact with people firsthand, less social life, and if it's addiction, less sense of accomplishment (because you get less accomplished), declining hygiene standards, etcetera.
The internet is one good way of connecting with people but still being secluded and feeling empty. I mean, being "friended" on facebook, a number tons of people promote, ends up being a good illustration on the tons of superficial relationships typical of online life -- making depression even worse. (To be sure, there are sites that facilitate sociality like meetup groups and dating sites...)
I seen friends go through that and also feel that way just working on a computer most of the day at times, without the addiction part (which is why I ride a bike to work now...)
I was like you long ago, but then I stopped giving a fuck about what others thought of me. Made life 100% better.
I mostly agree, with the exception of cases where you care about the person's opinion, and for the right reasons. I don't give a damn what my neighbor thinks because that's just geographical coincidence, but if I choose to become someone's friend, I would at least "give some damn", otherwise why do I choose to consider this person my friend? Family is more complicated, of course, and everyone has to make their own choices there. But apart from those cases, the only thing that should concern you is functionality: don't get on your boss' nerves because he'll fire you, and don't piss off a heavy-weight boxer that's standing right in front of you, because, well, darwinism.
After I fixed that problem, I turned to the internet again because of new problems - one of them is that all of my friends got married and had kids, or they work exhausting hours. Do I envy them? Hell no, because I can go pub-crawling or kayaking while they're stuck indoors wasting all of their money and hard work on nagging, domineering wives and screaming, crapping, defiant kids. When they do have free time to visit we're always stuck at their house playing xBox with 5 year-olds or kicked out to the cold-ass garage before their wife makes me leave at 10pm on a Saturday. They're fucking miserable. Do not take your freedom for granted. Do not envy happy-looking couples, you don't see all of the fighting and control struggles behind the scenes.
That's a matter of perspective and opinion. It's not really related to this topic. It's a valid opinion, in the sense that you're free to do with your life as you will, but I wouldn't say that it's the correct "advice" for everyone. I know several people who were just aimlessly wandering through life until they met the right person, not only to spend their life with, but also to motivate them. If that's not the case for you then that's fine, but I don't think that people keep getting married and having children just to keep the human species from extinction.
The other problem is having non-nerd friends. Everybody I know in real life is not very articulate and conversation is about typical, non-controversial things. Time spent on each topic is kept to a minimum. Trying to start a deep conversation about politics or technology rights just causes them to scratch their heads and rub their eyes in irritation.
You're the one who decides who you spend time with. You say that it's a "problem", but if it were really troubling you, then according to what you say in this post, you'd have no problem telling them flat out that they're boring you and you're not interested in seeing them again.
But things are different on the internet. What's so cool about the internet? Not having to give a fuck about what people think! Nigger, for example. There will always be at least 1 niche that will welcome your weirdness with open arms so that you don't have to deal with all of those hypocrites, phonies, and rubes we encounter in real life. Create a strong persona on the internet and become that persona. Let its toughness change your behavior in real life. Then, when you no longer give a fuck about what others think, they'll try harder to get your attention and win your approval. Pussy will throw itself at you left and right.
Yes and no. Your post is a very good example. By being so aggressive, some people will simply skip over what you've said and dismiss you as a "brute" or a troll, not even considering your argument. The ad-hominem effect kicks in (you'll be dismissed because of who you are, or how you behave, rather than what you say), and you've just lost a lot of people's attention, not all of whom you'd normally choose to filter out. If I know that I'm in an environment that doesn't mind cursing, then I'll cuss like a sailor, but I'd still respect someone
Entomologically speaking, the spider is not a bug, it's a feature.
Mod parent down, please. I'd rather not listen to Maddox (the jock asshole persona) telling me how the Internet is great because it's just like High School Musical (stop caring about cliques and what other people think, and they will magically think better of you and we can all be in this together)
I sometimes ask revealing, often ignorant-seeming questions. Maybe they're harder to answer than you think.
Yep. Before the internet, depressed people stayed inside and stared at the wall. Now they're staring at a computer screen.
But you KNOW the media's gonna try to spin it as "the internet depresses people! (see more, on our website)"
"I disagree with you" does not equal "flamebait."