Do you have a Facebook page? Do you like people and upload photos? You're no different from drug addicts. Yes, exactly as it sounds.
A new study by the University of California suggests that surfing the social network affects the gray matter in the brain, the main component of the central nervous system, in the same way that... white powder does.
""The impulsive system can be compared to the accelerator of a car, and the inhibitory systems can be likened to the brakes," explains Prof. Ofir Toral of California State University, quoted on the 'Mako' website.
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""During addiction, there is strong accelerated activity associated with the impulsive system, often in combination with systems that inhibit or cause a malfunction of the brake system.".
How was the research conducted?
Participants were asked to rate how addicted they were to Mark Zuckerberg's social network.
They were then shown a series of images, some of which were related to Facebook. The students were asked to press a button when the images related to Facebook appeared. The one who pressed the button the fastest also received a "high score" on a pre-administered addiction test.
According to the results of the study, it turns out that Facebook stimulates the amygdala, the part of the brain involved in regulating the functioning of the hormonal system and the autonomic nervous system, which helps determine the meaning of events and emotions.
It also emerged that surfing stimulates the striatum, the part responsible for a variety of cognitive processes and deals with data processing and the anticipation of rewards and satisfaction.
Some participants responded to the Facebook stimulus faster than they responded to traffic signs.
