Scientists Think Teens are Addicted to the Internet…But Everyone Else Is OK…Right?
The research was presented yesterday (Nov. 30) at the Radiological Society of North America’s annual meeting in Chicago.The paper, which was presented by lead study author Dr. Hyung Suk Seo, a professor of neuroradiology at Korea University in Seoul, South Korea, found an imbalance of chemicals in the brain of “internet-addicted” teenagers. This imbalance was similar to that seen in people experiencing anxiety and depression. [9 Odd Ways Your Tech Devices May Injure You]
In the study, researchers examined the brains of 19 internet- and smartphone-addicted teenagers and 19 nonaddicted teenagers using magnetic resonance spectroscopy, a form of MRI that can reveal changes in the chemical composition of the brain. (Internet and smartphone addiction were measured using standardized questionnaires.)
Compared with the control group, the teens with internet and smartphone addiction showed a clear overabundance of a neurotransmitter called gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) in one region of the limbic system, the brain’s emotional control center. GABA is an inhibitory neurotransmitter, meaning that it blocks nerve cells from firing.
GABA is found in everyone’s brain, but too much of this neurotransmitter in the wrong areas can have stultifying effects.”When the normal function of the limbic system is disturbed, patients can develop anxiety, depression or addiction,” said Dr. Max Wintermark, a professor of radiology and the chief of neuroradiology at Stanford University. Wintermark was not involved with the new research but said that he was intrigued by it because of the increasing prevalence of phones and web devices in society.
Full Article: https://www.livescience.com/61075-internet-smartphone-addiction-chemical-imbalance-brain.html?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social#?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=2016twitterdlvrit
If your asking yourself if your addicted to the internet I’ll save you the trouble, the answer is simple: I doesn’t matter. Whether we like it or not the internet has become a staple of everyday life for anyone who’s under 80. Unless you go live in the woods with Mick Dodge then there’s no way around it.
Update: Is Mick Dodge a fraud? He has a website and a contact email….The world is a cruel place sometimes, If Nat Geo cant keep it real I’m not sure who can.
Anyway, I would really like to know what this written test looked like to diagnose if a teen is addicted to their phone/internet or not because the only thing that is more obvious then the fact that society is becoming attached to their mobile devices is that teenagers lie. I know, I was there and I would never answer a survey/questioner honestly. It violates all the core rules of being a teenager, the fact that the sample size was only 38 teens (19 addicted and 19 “Not” addicted) leaves many doors and possibilities open. Many other correlations could have caused the increased levels of GABA in the “addicted” subjects brains. I’m not saying the study is wrong…because its probably accurate but to draw conclusions from 38 lying teens is bananas.
The fact is, we are all consuming our daily information primarily through technology. Many of our jobs require us to stare at a screen all day and when we sneak a break from that we’re looking at a smaller screen to see all the fun shit our friends are doing that we’re missing out on. Side note – Great Book “Everybody Lies” tells you all about………Wait for it……..How Everybody Lies on the Internet “Social Media”.
Like any relatively new trend that pops up we don’t start seeing the long term side affects until its been around for a substantial amount of time. Your best bet is to make time to escape from technology for a couple of hours each week. Its tough, even escapes like reading are difficult because of things like the kindle. Get outside and walk, take a hike, ride your bike, or get in the water. Go learn to surf, you cant wont wanna bring your phone out into the ocean. Also, when your using your phone/tablet/computer use the blue light filters as much as you can to decrease the toll it take on your eyes (it actually makes a big difference).
I think the big thing everybody’s missing are the possible long term affects of hunching over at computers and looking down at phones. Good thing is in about 5 years we’ll all be wearing contact lenses that bring the internet right to our eyes.
P.S – If your stuck in the woods, that’s no excuse not to work out…..Get a Stick and your phone (because your addicted remember) and follow Mick’s lead
