PSYCHOLOGY

The Internet: it can be addictive

Preliminary results of the first on-line survey of the psychological effects of Internet use and abuse provide the first indication that there is a subset of computer buffs who may be "addicted" to the Net.

Seventeen percent of 185 individuals who completed the survey, designed by a UB doctoral student, said they spend more than 40 hours per week on the Net, although it is not known what percentage of that time is job-related.

"The survey shows that there is a subgroup of people who, as a result of Internet use, experience more interference than normal with their other roles in life," said Viktor Brenner, a doctoral student in psychology.

"The survey is important because at this time, there are no other data available about the psychological effects of Internet usage," Brenner added. "There does seem to be such a thing as Internet 'addiction' and we need to look at it more closely."

Brenner noted that "Internet addiction" might be closest to pathological gambling in that both are a behavioral failure to resist an impulse that leads to interference with a user's roles in life, such as those concerning family, friends and employment. He added that because participants themselves chose to be part of the survey, the results must be interpreted with caution.