Study: Internet Addiction Can Harm
Our Brains
Too much time spent online can produce changes
in the brain similar to those seen in people
addicted to alcohol or illegal drugs.
Summary: Internet addiction has now been linked to changes in the
brain similar to those observed in people addicted to alcohol, cocaine
and cannabis. Researchers in England used MRI scans to reveal
abnormalities in brains of adolescents who spent so much time on the
Internet, their social and personal lives were affected. Some 5 to 10 per
cent of Internet users are thought to be addicted, meaning they can’t
control their use. The discovery could lead to new approaches in
treating behavioral problems resulting from this addiction.
Henrietta Bowden Jones, a psychiatrist at Imperial College, London, who
runs that country’s only clinic for Internet addicts and problem gamblers,
said, "The majority of people we see with serious Internet addiction are
gamers – people who spend long hours in roles in various games that
cause them to disregard their obligations. I have seen people who
stopped attending university lectures, failed their degrees or their
marriages broke down because they were unable to emotionally
connect with anything outside the game."
Case studies include a 20-year-old in England who died of a blood clot
when he developed deep vein thrombosis after spending up to 12 hours
at a time playing his Xbox; a mother in New Mexico who received a 25-
year jail sentence because her daughter died from neglect due to her
online game addiction; and an English woman who was jailed because
she stole £76,000 ($116,300) from her company to feed her Internet
gambling addiction. However, most people can spend long hours online
without evidence of addiction. They may go on the Internet because of
their jobs or for harmless social activities.
In China researchers scanned the brains of 17 adolescents who had
been diagnosed with “Internet addiction disorder” and compared the
scans to those of 16 of their peers. The results showed impairment of
white matter fibers in the brain which connect regions involved in
emotional processing, attention, decision making and cognitive control.
Similar changes in white matter have been seen in cases of alcohol and
cocaine addiction.
However, the study’s authors are not sure whether the brain changes
are the consequence or the cause of the Internet addiction. Because
the study was not controlled, it is also possible illicit drugs, alcohol, or
other stimulants might account for the changes.
To read the entire article, click on THE INDEPENDENT.
Comment: The Internet, like printed matter, television, automobiles, and
just about everything else in life including the human ability to speak,
an be used for either positive or negative purposes. Regarding the
usefulness of the Internet, compare having to trudge down to the local
library and perhaps spend hours in order to find the answer to a
question to the ability to almost instantly find your answer on the
Internet, using a search window like Google.
However, when it comes to realizing when we have a serious addiction,
we need to seek help if we can’t learn to control it ourselves. This story
paints a picture of Internet addiction as being about as serious as
addiction to alcohol or illegal drugs.
On the other hand, if meaningless activity such as playing games for
hours on the Internet can hurt us mentally, shouldn’t the opposite also
be true? If we submerse ourselves in wholesome activities such as
volunteering to help people in need, reading good literature, or
spending more time with family, shouldn’t we expect to benefit mentally
and socially from such activities?
As Christians, we know where we should be spending a significant
amount of our time. In doing good works: “If your enemy is hungry, feed
him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink” (Romans 12:20) In
worship and Bible study: “They devoted themselves to the apostles’
teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer”
(Acts 2:42). And in spreading the good news of the Gospel: “Therefore
go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the
Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey
everything I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:19)
There will be no harmful addictions in heaven. If there is an addiction in
Paradise, it will be a healthy addiction to praising and serving the Lord.
“To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor
and glory and power, for ever and ever!” (Revelation 5:13). For those
people who have come to faith in Jesus Christ as their Savior, such
positive thoughts will frequently travel the pathways in our brains.
Nothing could be healthier for us.
Our Brains
Too much time spent online can produce changes
in the brain similar to those seen in people
addicted to alcohol or illegal drugs.
Summary: Internet addiction has now been linked to changes in the
brain similar to those observed in people addicted to alcohol, cocaine
and cannabis. Researchers in England used MRI scans to reveal
abnormalities in brains of adolescents who spent so much time on the
Internet, their social and personal lives were affected. Some 5 to 10 per
cent of Internet users are thought to be addicted, meaning they can’t
control their use. The discovery could lead to new approaches in
treating behavioral problems resulting from this addiction.
Henrietta Bowden Jones, a psychiatrist at Imperial College, London, who
runs that country’s only clinic for Internet addicts and problem gamblers,
said, "The majority of people we see with serious Internet addiction are
gamers – people who spend long hours in roles in various games that
cause them to disregard their obligations. I have seen people who
stopped attending university lectures, failed their degrees or their
marriages broke down because they were unable to emotionally
connect with anything outside the game."
Case studies include a 20-year-old in England who died of a blood clot
when he developed deep vein thrombosis after spending up to 12 hours
at a time playing his Xbox; a mother in New Mexico who received a 25-
year jail sentence because her daughter died from neglect due to her
online game addiction; and an English woman who was jailed because
she stole £76,000 ($116,300) from her company to feed her Internet
gambling addiction. However, most people can spend long hours online
without evidence of addiction. They may go on the Internet because of
their jobs or for harmless social activities.
In China researchers scanned the brains of 17 adolescents who had
been diagnosed with “Internet addiction disorder” and compared the
scans to those of 16 of their peers. The results showed impairment of
white matter fibers in the brain which connect regions involved in
emotional processing, attention, decision making and cognitive control.
Similar changes in white matter have been seen in cases of alcohol and
cocaine addiction.
However, the study’s authors are not sure whether the brain changes
are the consequence or the cause of the Internet addiction. Because
the study was not controlled, it is also possible illicit drugs, alcohol, or
other stimulants might account for the changes.
To read the entire article, click on THE INDEPENDENT.
Comment: The Internet, like printed matter, television, automobiles, and
just about everything else in life including the human ability to speak,
an be used for either positive or negative purposes. Regarding the
usefulness of the Internet, compare having to trudge down to the local
library and perhaps spend hours in order to find the answer to a
question to the ability to almost instantly find your answer on the
Internet, using a search window like Google.
However, when it comes to realizing when we have a serious addiction,
we need to seek help if we can’t learn to control it ourselves. This story
paints a picture of Internet addiction as being about as serious as
addiction to alcohol or illegal drugs.
On the other hand, if meaningless activity such as playing games for
hours on the Internet can hurt us mentally, shouldn’t the opposite also
be true? If we submerse ourselves in wholesome activities such as
volunteering to help people in need, reading good literature, or
spending more time with family, shouldn’t we expect to benefit mentally
and socially from such activities?
As Christians, we know where we should be spending a significant
amount of our time. In doing good works: “If your enemy is hungry, feed
him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink” (Romans 12:20) In
worship and Bible study: “They devoted themselves to the apostles’
teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer”
(Acts 2:42). And in spreading the good news of the Gospel: “Therefore
go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the
Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey
everything I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:19)
There will be no harmful addictions in heaven. If there is an addiction in
Paradise, it will be a healthy addiction to praising and serving the Lord.
“To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor
and glory and power, for ever and ever!” (Revelation 5:13). For those
people who have come to faith in Jesus Christ as their Savior, such
positive thoughts will frequently travel the pathways in our brains.
Nothing could be healthier for us.
LSI Blog - Monday, Jan. 16, 2012
