Research reveals heavy internet use makes us grumpier, more stressed

By Stephen Beech

Heavy internet users are grumpier, more stressed and more tempted than other people, according to a new study.

Researchers found that people described as "problematic" users report higher stress, worse mood and greater neglect of other activities than those who surf the web sparingly.

They also reported a stronger temptation to return to the internet than other people, according to the findings published in the journal PLOS One.

The research team explained that problematic internet usage (PUI) is a pathology defined by using online apps — such as gaming, gambling, pornography use, social network use and shopping online — excessively and to the point of functional impairment or distress.

The researchers theorized that individuals may seek out the internet to satiate stress or a bad mood, forming habits that evolve into cycles.

The severity of PUI can vary, with the most extreme cases causing neglect in other areas of life.

Silke Müller and her colleagues at the University of Duisburg-Essen in Germnay wondered whether daily stress, mood and temptation could be used to predict a person's daily internet usage, and how those factors in turn affect daily pleasure, relief and neglect of other activities.

The research team tested thheir theory with 900 German adults who reported engaging in gaming, pornography use, social network use or online shopping at least once in the last year.

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Depending on the degree to which they engaged in those behaviors, their internet use was classified as pathological, risky or nonproblematic.

After interviews, the participants completed an assessment every evening for 14 days.

They reported their mood and stress levels, temptation to engage in PUI, and total internet usage, as well as how much pleasure was derived from internet usage and whether any other activities were neglected as a result.

Müller said: "Results revealed that more severe PUI is associated with worse mood, more stress, longer internet use times and greater neglect of other areas of life.

"Consistent with existing theories, temptation was the main driver for continued Internet use, with feelings of pleasure and relief emerging as reinforcing factors.

"On the whole, the data and analysis indicated that common theoretical models of problematic internet usage appear in everyday life."

Study co-author Andreas Oelker said: "Our study shows that the feeling of temptation is the central mechanism linking emotional states with problematic internet use in everyday life.

"More than actual stress or mood alone, it is the momentary urge to go online that determines whether people engage in online activities and experience both rewarding and harmful consequences.

"The ambulatory assessment allowed us to examine psychological processes in daily life.

"Understanding why individuals at risk of problematic internet use go online at particular moments is essential for developing better prevention and treatment strategies."

He added: "Our findings suggest that helping people recognize and manage moments of temptation may be more effective than focusing on stress or mood alone."