video game / computer addiction
I had an intuition that people addicted to computer games are stimulated in a way very similar to drug addiction, so I did some research...
In a study conducted at the Cyclotron Unit of Hammersmith Hospital in London, Dr. Paul Grasby and his fellow researchers determined that playing video games triggers the release of dopamine in the brain.
The researchers discovered that dopamine production in the brain doubles during video game play.
The increase of the psychoactive chemical was roughly the same as when a person is injected with amphetamines or the attention-deficit disorder drug, Ritalin. This is the first hard evidence that video game playing is addictive, "the equivalent of a dose of speed."
From: http://www.computeraddiction.com/
Psychological Symptoms of computer addiction are:
Having a sense of well-being or euphoria while at the computer
Inability to stop the activity
Craving more and more time at the computer
Neglect of family and friends
Feeling empty, depressed, irritable when not at the computer
Lying to employers and family about activities
Problems with school or job
On a forum: "I've known people who played computer games 12 hours a day and became unemployable and antisocial after months of lethargy." Yuk. Be careful you aren't on your way to Loserville, kids!
In a study conducted at the Cyclotron Unit of Hammersmith Hospital in London, Dr. Paul Grasby and his fellow researchers determined that playing video games triggers the release of dopamine in the brain.
The researchers discovered that dopamine production in the brain doubles during video game play.
The increase of the psychoactive chemical was roughly the same as when a person is injected with amphetamines or the attention-deficit disorder drug, Ritalin. This is the first hard evidence that video game playing is addictive, "the equivalent of a dose of speed."
From: http://www.computeraddiction.com/
Psychological Symptoms of computer addiction are:
Having a sense of well-being or euphoria while at the computer
Inability to stop the activity
Craving more and more time at the computer
Neglect of family and friends
Feeling empty, depressed, irritable when not at the computer
Lying to employers and family about activities
Problems with school or job
On a forum: "I've known people who played computer games 12 hours a day and became unemployable and antisocial after months of lethargy." Yuk. Be careful you aren't on your way to Loserville, kids!