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What occurs within the minds of people that use the web addictively? Prof. Dr. Matthias Model from the College of Duisburg-Essen and his workforce wish to discover out. Since 2020, the scientists have looked for underlying psychological and neurobiological processes. They’re now publishing their preliminary findings on self-control capabilities within the American Journal of Psychiatry.
The scientists write that individuals with addictive web use take longer on common to dam out distractions and make dangerous and impulsive choices extra usually than folks with out addictive signs. The group with pathological use additionally makes extra errors on common in duties the place they’re requested to react or not react to internet-related visible stimuli.
Though that is inside the regular vary, there’s a important distinction in comparison with the management group—even when results corresponding to age, intelligence, and psychopathological signs corresponding to melancholy are taken under consideration.
“Our findings so far show that certain patterns of thinking and behavior—especially those related to self-control—play an important role in whether someone develops internet addiction and why it persists,” mentioned the examine’s lead writer, Dr. Silke M. Müller.
The spokesperson for the analysis group, Prof. Model, provides, “We assume that the whole thing develops like a chain reaction: those who have difficulties with self-control from the outset may be at higher risk of using the internet in an addictive manner. At the same time, addiction can contribute to a further decline in self-control over time.”
Over 1,000 individuals—and nonetheless searching for volunteers
Between 2021 and 2024, a complete of over 1,000 volunteers had been extensively examined utilizing the identical devices at numerous places in Germany for the examine. The individuals needed to full numerous cognitive psychology duties and reply questionnaires, amongst different issues. The analysis workforce categorized them as pathological/addictive, dangerous, or unproblematic based mostly on their signs utilizing a standardized interview that assesses dependancy standards.
A particular function of this examine is its scope: “A study of this kind and magnitude is unique worldwide,” emphasizes Prof. Model. “So far, we have produced a veritable treasure trove of data from which we can draw important insights into the mechanisms and processes that play a role in addictive behavior.”
Extra info:
Silke M. Müller et al, Self-Management Skills in Particular Forms of Problematic Utilization of the Web: Findings From Clinically Validated Samples With Neurocognitive Duties, American Journal of Psychiatry (2025). DOI: 10.1176/appi.ajp.20240486
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Scientists seek for underlying psychological processes behind web dependancy (2025, Might 28)
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