Internet Overuse: A Danger To Your Brain [STUDY]

Internet, the ultimate communication medium, is being used by almost 1/3 of the world’s population and has become a basic need.

Have you ever considered the dark side of overusing the internet? The consequences are easily being neglected when even your TV set is connected to the internet.

According to a  recent study conducted by researchers in China, overusing the internet can cause severe structural damage to your brain.

The research focused on 17 individuals with Internet Addiction Disorder (IAD). They found out that there were structural and functional interference in the part of the brain that regulates organization causing cognitive damages similar to caused by gambling or use of alcohol.

Mashable explained it even further,

 White matter is composed of nerve cells, while the gray matter that we hear so much about is made up of cell bodies. Myelin is a type of fat in the white part (nerve-heavy area) of the brain. This fat insulates the white matter in the brain and makes the transmission speed between nerve signals fast.

The method used in this research was called fractional anisotropy (measuring organization in the brain by locating the presence of white matter). 17 people with IAD were matched against 16 healthy individuals and the result was, as mentioned above, that overusing the internet causes structural damage to your brain.

So if you have been feeling like you have been drinking alcohol while you are online, then remember that it is time you keep your smartphone in the drawer, close your laptop/pc and have a walk.

Every human being is the author of his own health.