KEY POINTS
- Shopping, social media, gaming linked to self-reported stress increases.
- News, emails, adult content correlated with lower stress levels.
- Cause-effect unclear: stress may drive use, or use may increase stress.
- Goal is data-driven tools to help users regulate browsing for wellbeing.
ISLAMABAD: Contrary to popular belief, browsing online stores or scrolling through social media may be more likely to increase stress than calm it, according to new research from Finland.
A comprehensive study tracking millions of online interactions has found that activities often used for distraction or relaxation are more strongly correlated with elevated stress levels than reading news or emails.
Stress paradox of leisure browsing
The study, published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research, reveals a paradox in digital behaviour.
While many people turn to online shopping, social media, or gaming for a form of “retail therapy” or escape, these activities were most likely to be linked to self-reported increases in stress.
“Previous studies have shown that social media and online shopping are often used to relieve stress,” explained co-author and doctoral researcher Mohammed Belal of Aalto University.
“However, our results show that a rise in their use is linked to an increase in stress across multiple user groups and devices.”
The research team tracked the internet usage of nearly 1,500 adults over seven months, analysing data from 47 million website visits and 14 million app uses, then correlating it with participants’ own stress reports.
News and Email linked to lower stress
In a notable finding, activities typically associated with obligation or negative content were not the biggest stress drivers.
Participants who spent more time reading emails and news, or even watching adult entertainment, reported lower average stress levels.
“Somewhat surprisingly, people who spent a lot of time on news sites reported less stress than others,” Belal noted.
He added that the team only measured time spent on news sites, not the content consumed, and that those already under high stress tended to avoid news—a finding consistent with past research.
The de-stressing effect of adult entertainment was attributed by researchers to its typical use in small, controlled doses as a short-term diversion from stress or boredom.
Call for deeper understanding
The study underscores a significant gap in scientific understanding of the internet’s complex impact on well-being.
Senior researcher Dr. Juhi Kulshrestha emphasized the crucial, unanswered question: “Are people more stressed because they are spending more time online… or are such sites offering them an important support in times of duress? It’s really crucial that we study these issues further to solve that chicken and egg problem.”
Dr. Kulshrestha cautioned that simplistic solutions like blanket bans on usage may be ineffective or even harmful, potentially removing a vital, if flawed, coping mechanism for some individuals.
Practical applications and future research
The researchers believe their methodology, using tracking software instead of self-reported usage, and the study’s scale provide a more accurate picture of digital life.
They see practical applications for their work in developing better well-being tools and online services.
Future research will delve deeper, examining how different types of news (political, sports, entertainment) relate to stress.
The ultimate goal, Dr. Kulshrestha said, is to use precise data to “design new kinds of tools that people can use to regulate their browsing and improve their well-being.”
The findings arrive amid global scrutiny of social media’s effects, exemplified by recent regulatory actions like Australia’s ban for children, highlighting the urgent need for evidence-based understanding of our digital lives.
