Bad news if you haven’t closed your laptop in the last three days.
A new study has found that spending a bunch
of time on the internet weakens the immune system, making internet addicts more
likely to get sick.
Researchers at the universities of Swansea
and Milan studied 500 people between the ages of 18 and 101, and found that
those who reported ‘excessive’ internet use had 30 per cent more cold and flu
symptoms than those who reported moderate internet use.
They also found that those who use the
internet to excess experience high levels of stress when they’re not connected
(as anyone who’s experienced the true RAGE of poor wifi connectivity will
know).
The researchers believe this is making internet
addicts more likely to get sick, as the cycle of stress and relief affects the
body’s levels of cortisol, a stress hormone that has an impact on the immune
system.
It could also be down to the amount of time
spent indoors. Obviously, the people who are spending more than seven hours a
day on the internet are likely to be more secluded and won’t be spending much
time outside. This means they won’t be building up immune strength by being
exposed to other people’s germs.
This weakens the immune system, again
exposing internet addicts to a greater chance of getting sick. Which is a bit
problematic, as the poorly internet addicts are also the ones who are probably
looking up every symptom on WebMD, and getting into a massive panic. Oh dear.
The researchers found that it’s the internet
use itself that’s causing the increased likelihood of illness, not just some of
the other symptoms related to internet addiction.
They said: ‘We found that the impact of the
internet on people’s health was independent of a range of other factors, like
depression, sleep deprivation, and loneliness, which are associated with high
levels of internet use and also with poor health.’
In short, shut down your computer and go
outside. Your health depends on it.
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