Addicted or not?

Many people have been talking about the influence of Facebook in their lives. For example there is this one friend that keeps updating his FB status approximately 39 times a day, after twittering about the snowy weather in Holland and the fact that he's watching television and what so ever. I admit that the updates and tweets often are funny or interesting but in my opinion some people just share everything that comes to their minds. It's not that it bothers me that much, but sometimes I'm left wondering what moves these people to post these things.

Well, researchers from the University of Chicago found an answer. They claim that Facebook is more addictive than alcohol or cigarettes! Research under 250 persons showed that it is harder not to check updates on social networking sites then turning down a drink or cigarette. The results were published in the Psychological Science Journal.

It seemed that the urge to keep on top of social networks is hard to resist, harder to resist than the desire for sleep or sex, which are the two things the 250 people most longed for during the day. The survey showed that the levels of desire for alcohol or cigarettes are much lower than the desire to be socially up-to-date. Interesting isn't it?

The research also showed that our willpower weakens during the day. Our efforts to resist temptation during the day make your cravings increase. In terms of Dr Wilhelm Hofmann, who led the research: "As a day wears on, willpower becomes lower and self control efforts are more likely to fail." 

So, be aware of the Facebook addiction before it creeps up on you. In case you are not sure about your own addictive status, here's a guideline full of practical tips 'n tricks for recognizing your addiction and, even better, how to deal with it. Good luck ;)