Social media is bad for your health

2024 Author: James Gerald | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 14:00

Do you regularly visit Odnoklassniki.ru, can't you imagine life without a Facebook page? British scientists are urging to stop. As it turned out, social media can cause serious harm to health. In particular, affect the functioning of the immune system and hormonal balance. According to experts, social networks do not facilitate the establishment of contacts between people, they only give the illusion of communication.

British biologist Arik Sigman published the results of a study of the impact of social networks on human health in the journal Biologist of the British Institute of Biology. The article is called Always Connected: The Biological Impact of Social Media.

According to the British scientist, excessive obsession with social networks on the Internet can be harmful to health by reducing communication with real people. In particular, the scientist argues, a lack of communication can negatively affect the body's immune system, hormonal balance, arteries and thinking processes, which in the long term increases the risk of the appearance and development of diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular disease and dementia.

This is due to the fact, writes Arik Sigman in the article, that physiological processes in the body proceed differently depending on whether a person is alone, in someone's society or in virtual reality, which is now happening more and more often.

"A lot of this remains to be investigated, but there seems to be a difference between the influence of the real presence of someone and a virtual substitute for communication," the biologist said.

“In theory, social networks should contribute to our social activity, but in reality we are seeing something completely different. The tail wags the dog, and instead of intensifying communication, social networks are replacing it,”says Sigman.

This is not the first time British scientists have voiced concerns about social media. For example, last year at a meeting at the British Royal College of Psychiatrists, it was suggested that social networks distort the perception of reality.

According to RIA Novosti, according to psychiatrists, the generation of the 90s, which does not know a world without the Internet, may develop a “potentially dangerous” view of the world around them and their own personality. Children who are accustomed to social media from the cradle may have difficulty in “real” relationships with people, as they are poorly versed in the subtle nuances of facial expressions, tone of voice and body language.