Facebook and Twitter have great addictive potential

Facebook and Twitter are more addictive than cigarettes

03.02.2012

According to a US study, the addictive potential of social networks such as Facebook and Twitter is greater than that of cigarettes and alcohol. The 205 study participants, who had to document their wishes daily, yearned for sleep and sex the most during the day. However, it was hardest for the subjects to resist their desire to log into social networks.

Great need for information - both for entertainment and business
205 adults attended the study by the Booth School of Business at the University of Chicago. They carried the devices, which recorded a total of 7,827 behavioral reports on their daily needs and desires. The evaluation showed that the desires for sex and sleep were the strongest. The biggest problems showed the subjects, while resisting the urge for media and work. „Modern life provides a variety of desires that are often marked by conflict and resistance, the latter with varying degrees of success, "said Professor Wilhelm Hofmann, lead author of the study.

The craving for alcohol and nicotine was comparatively low, although their addictive potential is considered high. One result of the study surprised the researchers very much: Sleep and leisure were the most problematic needs that the subjects had during the day. This clearly points to the pronounced tension ratio „between natural inclinations to rest and relaxation and the amount of work and other obligations“ out, explains Hofmann. The study „Desires and Cravings: Food, Money, Status, Sex "is in the journal „Psychological Science Magazine“ appeared.

Pure will power is not enough to overcome an addiction
That pure willpower is not enough to withstand an addiction is also confirmed by Hofmann. Even if it were possible for a short time to resist the temptations of everyday life, the danger would be even greater to yield to them later.

In a Salzburg clinic, addicts are treated successfully with naturopathic treatments, which include classical acupuncture, liver wraps to detoxify the body, breathing exercises in anxiety and panic attacks and different teas against inner restlessness and sleep disorders. Project manager Stefan Brunnhuber explains that the patients of the Salzburg Psychiatry II would benefit from the naturopathic treatments. In addition, the cost of medication - with an improvement in care - could be reduced by almost 50 percent, reports the psychiatrist. (Ag)

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Picture: Alexander Klaus