TORONTO – If you check it when you’re waiting in line at the bank, every 15 minutes while at work and in the evenings before bed, you probably don’t need a test to confirm that you’re hooked on Facebook.
But a new doctor-designed test, dubbed the Facebook Addiction test, can help those of us who are unsure of where we stand on the scale of Facebook infatuation.
Dr. Cecilie Schou Andreassen of the University of Bergen in Norway, says that a “subdivision” of Internet addiction has emerged – and it’s an obsession with social media and a dependency on Facebook.
Facebook addiction affects youth more than older online users, and Andreassen also says that those who are more “anxious and socially insecure” log onto the social media site. It may be because they find it easier to communicate online than face-to-face.
Online users who tend to be more “organized” and “ambitious” are less likely to fall victim to Facebook addiction because they use the site as a part of work and networking, her research suggests.
The Facebook Addiction Test:
There are six warning signs of Facebook addiction, Andreassen says. Each condition is considered in her Bergen Facebook Addiction Scale.
Respondents can answer (1) Very rarely, (2) Rarely, (3) Sometimes, (4) Often, and (5) Very often to see how they stack up on the scale.
• You spend a lot of time thinking about Facebook or plan use of Facebook.
• You feel an urge to use Facebook more and more.
• You use Facebook in order to forget about personal problems.
• You have tried to cut down on the use of Facebook without success.
• You become restless or troubled if you are prohibited from using Facebook.
• You use Facebook so much that it has had a negative impact on your job/studies.
If you answer (4) Often or (5) Always at least four of the six times, Andreassen’s study suggests you are addicted to Facebook.
SOUND OFF: Are you addicted to Facebook? Tell us how you scored.
Andreassen says the symptoms of Facebook addiction resemble the symptoms of problems as severe as drug addiction, alcohol addiction, and even chemical substance addiction.
Bergen also introduced the Work Addiction Test last week, which tests how attached you are to the office.
Other studies have pointed to Internet addiction as a prominent health issue that is steadily rising.
Chinese scientists earlier this year said that people who can’t control, cut back or stop their use of the Internet have irregular brain structure that mirrors what is seen in cocaine and crystal-meth addiction.
Dubbed “Internet addiction disorder,” the condition could be handed official psychiatric illness status.
The researchers say it’s becoming a “serious mental-health issue around the world.”
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