Addiction

Science

Study: We Love Facebook Because It Tricks Us Into Thinking We’re Doing Something Important

7:30PM February 8, 2012 | Kristen Philipkoski

When you’re perusing your Facebook account, your brain might be fooling you into thinking you’re doing something incredibly creative and productive that will improve your life. If only that were true! More »


Science

Gene Fuels Impulsive, Addicted Behaviour… If You’re A Dude

5:40AM November 19, 2011 | Kristen Philipkoski

Scientists wanted to know why a particular gene kept coming up in studies related to both addiction and obesity. The connection? Impulsivity. But only for men. More »


Science

Web Porn Is Killing My Libido

3:00AM October 24, 2011 | Jack Loftus

Zounds! So this is what my ex-girlfriend meant when she said sex with me was akin to “carnal relations with an empty husk”. Too much web porn! It’s killing our libidos, lads, one frantically one-handed mouse click at a time. More »


Science

Excessive Gaming Might Actually Rewire Your Brain

1:40PM June 18, 2011 | Adrian Covert

China has more internet and gaming addicts than any other country. They also conduct more research on the issue than anyone. And according to a study, Chinese researchers think that excessive gaming can permanently alter brain function. More »


Online

The 10 Easiest Ways To Waste Time On The Internet

11:00AM June 6, 2011 | Brian Moylan

The Internet has changed the way that we all live our lives. It’s also invented a whole host of ways to suck all of your time away. Here are some of the best. More »


Software

Quit Smoking By Smashing Virtual Cigarette Butts On Your iPhone

4:20AM March 17, 2011 | Kyle VanHemert

Are you trying to quit smoking? Do you like fiddling around with your phone? Perfect! Nicot, a $6 iOS app developed from a study by the Canada Research Chair in Clinical Cyberpsychology and the University of Quebec in Outaouais, charges smokers to crush virtual cigarettes in hopes that it will help them vanquish real ones too. More »


Gaming

Mum Loses Her 6 Kids Over Game Addiction, Filthy Home

9:17AM January 20, 2011 | Michael McWhertor

A Pennsylvania woman has lost custody of her six young children after investigators found the kids living in a filthy house littered with “animal waste”. Why the deplorable conditions? The mother is “addicted” to online computer games. More »


Gaming

Today’s One-Armed Bandit Wins… Even When You Win

12:00PM January 10, 2011 | Jack Loftus

In a 60 Minutes segment this evening, we learned today’s slot machines are so well designed that addicts often think they’re winning even when they’re losing. Other users report disliking jackpots (i.e. “winning”) because they slow down the action! More »


Online

16 Year Old Internet Addict Beaten To Death In Chinese Boot Camp

10:00AM October 1, 2010 | Christina Bonnington

After refusing a direct order, 16 year old Chen Shi was beaten to death at a boot camp for troubled youth in China. And it’s not the first time this has happened to teenage internet addicts. More »


Online

Chinese Internet Addiction Camp Beats Teen To Death

1:20AM August 5, 2009 | Mark Wilson

16-year-old Deng Senshan died after being beaten to death during “treatment” at an internet addiction camp found in Nanning. More »