Not stress but temptation keeps us online longer than we plan + test

• Which came first: a bad mood or the screen?
• How the vicious circle turns
• Two weeks, 900 people
• Temptation beats stress
• When habit crowds out duties
• When stress does matter
• The internet is not the enemy
• What this means for treatment
• In short
• Five questions: how strongly does the screen pull you? (test)

⇑Which came first: a bad mood or the screen?

The question sounds simple, but the answer is far from obvious. Do people spend too much time online because they feel down and stressed? Or is it the other way round, and too many hours at the screen spoil their mood and make it harder to cope with duties at work, at university or in a relationship?

A team from the University of Duisburg-Essen in Germany decided to take a closer look. Andreas Oelker, a doctoral student and co-author of the study, describes a mechanism that many people will find familiar: “It seems like we have a vicious circle.”

⇑How the vicious circle turns

According to Oelker, it begins innocently. “If you’re in a bad mood, you try to lift your mood by using the internet, but it doesn’t help very much.” Since it does not help, we reach for the phone again. “So you use it more and more and more,” the researcher adds.

It sounds like a ready-made explanation: stress and a bad mood fuel the scrolling. The study showed, however, that the main culprit lies elsewhere.

⇑Two weeks, 900 people

For 14 consecutive days the researchers followed 900 participants aged 18 to 65. They wanted to know what makes someone log on to social media, fire up an online game or shop online at a given moment. The results were published in the scientific journal PLOS One.

⇑Temptation beats stress

The most important finding is that it is the everyday, momentary temptation — not stress or mood — that is the main factor pushing people online. The urge to go online alone doubled the likelihood that someone would actually do it.

Then comes the reward. Going online was accompanied by a feeling of pleasure and relief, which in turn encouraged people to do the same thing again. This is how a habit is built that is hard to break with a single resolution.

⇑When habit crowds out duties

The researchers also checked what happens to the rest of life. It turned out that the link between temptation and neglecting other duties was strongest among people with the most entrenched internet habits. The deeper the habit is rooted, the easier it is for a moment at the screen to turn into postponed tasks.

⇑When stress does matter

Does this mean that stress has no effect at all? Not quite. Across the whole group it influenced screen time only slightly. For people with severe habits, however, the picture was different: stressful days meant stronger temptation and deeper neglect. In other words, for those who already have a serious problem, stress adds fuel to the fire.

⇑The internet is not the enemy

The authors strongly stress that not all internet use is harmful. The trouble starts when it becomes excessive or problematic, and that concerns only a small share of users.

Silke M. Müller, another co-author of the study, points to balance: the key is not to neglect other important areas of life along the way. This applies both to everyday duties and to things that support health, for example:

• exercise and physical activity,
• time spent outdoors,
• meeting and doing things with friends.

⇑What this means for treatment

The researchers’ conclusions have practical significance. If temptation, not stress, is the main driver, then treatment and prevention should focus on controlling the urge to go online itself, and not only on easing stress or improving mood. Oelker notes that helping people recognise moments of temptation may prove more effective than concentrating on emotions alone.

The authors also argue that healthier ways of coping with difficulties work better than turning to social media or games. And stepping away from screens can help us reconnect with the things that bring true happiness.

⇑In short

We like to explain hours online by stress and a bad mood, but the Duisburg-Essen study shows that it is most often about something simpler: momentary temptation and the pleasant relief that makes us repeat it. Stress matters mainly for people who are already addicted. For everyone else, the most important thing is to notice the moment when the hand reaches for the phone, and to make sure the screen does not push out exercise, fresh air and people.

⇑Five questions: how strongly does the screen pull you? (test)