Because of the Internet, people have reduced immunity
Last reviewed: 23.04.2024
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In Milan State University and the University of Swansea, the experts worked together, during which it was found that the time spent on the Internet affects the human immune system, the more a person spends on the network, the more he is exposed to colds and infectious diseases.
Specialists selected volunteers to participate in the experiment from different age categories (from 18 to 90 years), so that the results turned out to be extremely reliable, in addition, experts equalized the number of men and women among the participants in the experiment.
As a result of observations, the scientists made quite concrete conclusions. First of all, "sitting" on the Internet becomes a habit and can develop into a heavy dependence (the scientists noted that this can be compared with the dependence on alcohol or drugs).
The people who are dependent on the Internet change the emotional and hormonal background. Cortisol, known as the stress hormone, affects human behavior, affects a person's desire to eliminate a stressful situation. In the case of Internet dependent people, stress is caused by getting out of the network or being unable to be "online". In addition, cortisol reduces the body's ability to fight bacteria and viruses several times.
As for the behavioral features, people who are dependent on the global network tend to work remotely on the Internet, prefer to spend a lot of time alone, do not communicate with others "live", and this behavior leads to weak resistance to the usual bacterial environment that occurs with typical workers conditions.
Also important are the time spent in the fresh air and physical activity, which increases the body's resistance. As a result of such observations, scientists made an unambiguous conclusion: dependence on the Internet reduces the work of the immune system and causes increased mental stress.
Most of the participants in the experiment "sat" on the network for about 6 hours a day, part of it "online" - more than 10 hours. Most often, people spent time in social networks, played games, searched for goods in online stores. As shown by observations, men often played online games and watched pornography, and women spent time in social networks or shopping.
It is worth noting that WHO will add internet addiction to the list of mental disorders in the ICD 11.
Now, WHO experts are working on a new version of the international classification of diseases, and in the section of mental disorders, dependence on the Internet and selfie may appear. After studying the new classification by specialists from different countries, it will be finally approved.
Now treatment of dependence on the global network is carried out by psychologists, if such a state is equated to the disease, then the Internet-dependent people will be treated with medication and with the help of psychotherapy. Patients will receive psychotropic drugs, reducing obsessive thoughts, and a person can think of other things, in addition to the Internet or selfie. By the way, physicians already express their concern about the fact that there are more and more accidents happening lately when trying to make a unique self.
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