What Internet Habits Say about Mental Health

  Quote

For example, peer-to-peer file sharing, heavy emailing and chatting online, and a tendency to quickly switch between multiple websites and other online resources all predict a greater propensity to experience symptoms of depression. Although the exact reasons that these behaviors predict depression is unknown, each behavior corresponds with previous research on depression. Quickly switching between websites may reflect anhedonia (a decreased ability to experience emotions), as people desperately seek for emotional stimulation. Similarly, excessive emailing and chatting may signify a relative lack of strong face-to-face relationships, as people strive to maintain contact either with faraway friends or new people met online.

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=what-internet-habits-say-about-mental-health

So what do you think WATMM ?

Isn't file sharing, emailing and chatting what everybody do on the internet ?

*clicks into thread*

*reads*

*considers reply, but can't be arsed*

*clicks on next tab*

*comes back, makes stupid attempt at reply*

Whilst interesting, and perhaps holding grains of truth, I find studies like these highly reductive and encouraging of generalizations. You can't equate the findings of the internet usage of 200 volunteers with the internet using community at large.

  On 8/16/2012 at 11:58 AM, Gary C said:

*clicks into thread*

 

*reads*

 

*considers reply, but can't be arsed*

 

*clicks on next tab*

 

*comes back, makes stupid attempt at reply*

Also, lol.

These studies are done by old men who don't understand the internet.

That was pretty spot on for me... But that's just me I guess

can this be added to the depression thread instead of having 3 current threads about mental problems?

  On 8/16/2012 at 1:36 PM, keltoi said:

can this be added to the depression thread instead of having 3 current threads about mental problems?

Sign of the times. WATMM is stressed.

how depressing

  On 8/16/2012 at 11:49 AM, the anonymous forumite said:

So what do you think WATMM ?

 

Isn't file sharing, emailing and chatting what everybody do on the internet ?

you forgot shopping and wanking, and work, research/reading.

i do more work, research and shopping, than i do anything else on the internet.

but then i am getting older and can't really be arsed with chatting, emailing, and downloading shit anymore.

Some of that is true for me, but I`m not an emailer or much of a chatter.

Seems like I might be depressed then. I'm sick you guys! I finally have something to talk about!

I am definitely a depressed person then.

Any tips for the next step: suicide?

Yeah, I'm planning to kill myself this afternoon. Seems like the only logical thing to do, now that I'm officially depressed. Man, life is harsh.

  On 8/16/2012 at 1:39 PM, Gary C said:

  On 8/16/2012 at 1:36 PM, keltoi said:

can this be added to the depression thread instead of having 3 current threads about mental problems?

Sign of the times. WATMM is stressed.

  On 8/16/2012 at 1:49 PM, keltoi said:

how depressing

truth. they really should just shut the fuck up and get in some pussy. the answer is so obvious.

Clicking on the nice tits thread always made me less depressed.

*gets depressed*

bring the nice tits thread back, or else i will barricate myself inside Ecuador's embassy as well

*depressed*

I am fucked because I usually have a browser open with like 8 tabs, working on music, AND running a game in the background that i Alt+tab out of after each match (or in load times).

Oh and my knee is constantly shaking. Usually to a phat beat.

*smokes 4 cigarettes at once*

depression subforum please.

I reckon if anyone spends extended periods of time at a computer you're going to be depressed. More likely your depressed because you havent anything better to do than be on the internet, which is depressing.

Your science is bad and you should feel bad.

i'd say the majority of the world are probably depressed. and most of them probably aren't online.

either way, the internet (as in chatting, forums, facebook, etc.) is a massive distraction and waste of time. even more than TV is.

interesting study, but i dunno... 200 college students at the same school is an AWFULLY small sample size to be drawing conclusions about the population at large from. i dunno about short self-diagnosing surveys either, for any research, not just depression. i like how the article says that 30% of college students report feeling massively depressed, and then due to this research, seems to attach that statistic to internet use. there are a lot of other reasons college students are depressed. overworked, underpaid, highly stressed environment. not too hard to see.

  On 8/16/2012 at 5:15 PM, luke viia said:

interesting study, but i dunno... 200 college students at the same school is an AWFULLY small sample size to be drawing conclusions about the population at large from.

Jesus, thats the sample? Thats retarded, plus students are a melting pot of hormones, hard to tell what you're even feeling most of the time. Wacked of your face on booze and drugs.

  On 8/16/2012 at 4:46 PM, thanks robert moses said:

I am fucked because I usually have a browser open with like 8 tabs, working on music, AND running a game in the background that i Alt+tab out of after each match (or in load times).

 

Oh and my knee is constantly shaking. Usually to a phat beat.

 

*smokes 4 cigarettes at once*

Reads like a character in the sequel to 1995's Hackers, can I call you Ash Tray Multitask, DDOS Quad Burn, D.J. Reynolds?

lol. I'm using two different computers for different tasks at the same time right now. Schizophrenia perhaps?