Your Mind On the Internet

We email. We tweet. We facebook. We google. In this incredible age of technology, our computers sometimes seem to have taken control over our everyday lives -- from how we buy groceries to how we find mates. How is all this screen time affecting our brains? Is it getting rewired and changed at the molecular level? MRI research has shown that the brains of Internet users who have trouble controlling their craving to be constantly plugged-in exhibit changes similar to those seen in people addicted to drugs and alcohol. A 2011 study showed that unplugging from technology for one day gave some users, usually gamers, physical and mental withdrawal symptoms. There could also be something called Facebook depression. Do you get down when you see pictures of other vacationing or their achievements? Video conferencing also open a bee nest in itself. On the other hand, there is plenty of research out there that supports the idea that computers might actually boost brain function. Clearly, the internet has not been around long enough yet for any conclusions.