Physical Wellness

Types of Websites Visited May be Indicator of Depression

By S.C. Stringfellow | Update Date: Aug 15, 2012 01:28 PM EDT

We are what we web-search for, apparently. 

A new study conducted by a team of computer scientists, engineers, and psychologists from the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression (CES-D) scale suggests that the questions of what defines an individual and the foundations of their psychological make-up can be garnered from what and how often does individual surf the web.

A report by Scientific American suggests that the content of our internet usage can suggest certain psychological characteristics about us. Furthermore, researchers propose that such data can even predict a person's proclivity to experience depression.

In an experiment involving over 200 volunteers clinically diagnosed with depression, researchers asked participants to fill out a survey about "recent affective experiences," according to the report. Compared with data gathered about the frequency and in what general way participants used the internet, researchers were able to surmise that very specific patterns of internet use are reliably related to depressive tendencies.

For example, Scientific American Reports,

"peer-to-peer file sharing, heavy emailing and chatting online, and a tendency to quickly switch between multiple websites and other online resources all predict a greater propensity to experience symptoms of depression. Although the exact reasons why these behaviors predict depression are unknown, each behavior corresponds with previous research on depression."

The report further explains that switching between websites is a symptom of anhedonia, or a decreased ability to experience emotions, as people desperately seek emotional stimulation.

Similarly, "excessive emailing and chatting may signify a relative lack of strong face-to-face relationships, as people strive to maintain contact either with faraway friends or new people met online,The World Health Organization asserts that depression is common, affecting about 121 million people worldwide with dramatically rising rates.

College students make up most of the numbers with 30 percent having reported feeling depressed just last year, according to the American College Health Association.

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