Are You Addicted?

September 8, 2012 David Newhoff

mouse and squeleton — Photo by Hugo Chang.

According to one German scientist, the reasons we use the Internet to excess is that it triggers some of the same chemical rewards as addictions to chemical substances like nicotine. Check out this article from The Atlantic. But science aside, what’s your gut feel? Are you addicted to Internet use?

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David Newhoff

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David is an author, communications professional, and copyright advocate. After more than 20 years providing creative services and consulting in corporate communications, he shifted his attention to law and policy, beginning with advocacy of copyright and the value of creative professionals to America’s economy, core principles, and culture.

1 Comment

Cat Bramhall says:

September 9, 2012 at 4:49 am

Addicted to internet use? No. I am, however, psychologically dependent on my super-phone, and experience extreme anxiety when separated from it. But I rarely use it for internet access, and believe the anxiety is largely because I don’t know a single phone number by heart any more, except my own.

I’m currently obsessed with the idea of life as nothing but a series of habits (see Charles Duhigg’s book The Power of Habit), and am less interested in internet addiction than the sort of mindlessness of less harmful habits. Y’know, when you just refreshed your Facebook page to see if anyone posted anything new, and then you do it AGAIN? I like when I can’t remember why I picked up my phone, but just start opening the apps I open, until it occurs to me.

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