Tuning in to Social Media is Just as Addictive as Alcohol or Cigarettes

It’s hard to believe, but social media addiction may be a real issue according to a recent news article. A recent study found that Facebook and Twitter could be more addictive than alcohol or cigarettes. Researchers found that when they monitored everyday desires, people could more easily turn down a quick smoke or a drink before resisting the urge to log on to their favorite social networking site.

Using data collected from 250 people in the survey, researchers were able to show that sex and sleep were the most common things people desired throughout the day. However, the urge to stay connected with their social networks were more difficult to combat.

Surprisingly, tobacco and alcohol showed lesser levels of desire. These two habits are considered to be very addictive so the fact that these behaviors showed such little prompting to use throughout the day is shocking. But the researchers are quick to assume that cravings play a vital role in the results of the study.

Participants with the University of Chicago study were equipped with devices that logged almost 8,000 reports throughout the day about the individual’s desires. The cravings significantly increased after the initial urge. It appears the ability to say "no" the first time is much easier than the second time around.

Research shows that one’s ability to resist the temptation of alcohol, tobacco or even social media can literally suck the willpower right out of us, and doing so increases the cravings. Experts compare the results from this study to another recent study that claims cravings might just be the edge needed to control the behavior. For example, a craving for a particular food could, in fact, help resist the urge to eat and therefore reduce the amount of food consumed to feel full.