(Press-News.org) Are you a social media enthusiast or simply a Facebook addict?Researchers from Norway have developed a new instrument to measure Facebook addiction, the Bergen Facebook Addiction Scale.
The use of Facebook has increased rapidly. We are dealing with a subdivision of Internet addiction connected to social media, Doctor of Psychology Cecilie Schou Andreassen says about the study, which is the first of its kind worldwide.
Andreassen heads the research project "Facebook Addiction" at the University of Bergen (UiB). An article about the results has just been published in the renowned journal Psychological Reports.
She has clear views as to why some people develop Facebook dependency.
It occurs more regularly among younger than older users. We have also found that people who are anxious and socially insecure use Facebook more than those with lower scores on those traits, probably because those who are anxious find it easier to communicate via social media than face-to-face, Andreassen says.
People who are organised and more ambitious tend to be less at risk from Facebook addiction. They will often use social media as an integral part of work and networking.
Our research also indicates that women are more at risk of developing Facebook addiction, probably due to the social nature of Facebook, Andreassen says.
According to Andreassen, the research also shows that Facebook addiction was related to extraversion. People with high scores on the new scale further tend to have a somewhat delayed sleep-wake rhythm.
Six warning signs
As Facebook has become as ubiquitous as television in our everyday lives, it is becoming increasingly difficult for many people to know if they are addicted to social media. Andreassen's study shows that scoring of "often" or "very often" on at least four of the six items may suggest that you are addicted to Facebook.
The Bergen Facebook Addiction Scale is based on six basic criteria, where all items are scored on the following scale: (1) Very rarely, (2) Rarely, (3) Sometimes, (4) Often, and (5) Very often:
You spend a lot of time thinking about Facebook or plan use of Facebook.
You feel an urge to use Facebook more and more.
You use Facebook in order to forget about personal problems.
You have tried to cut down on the use of Facebook without success.
You become restless or troubled if you are prohibited from using Facebook.
You use Facebook so much that it has had a negative impact on your job/studies.
Andreassen's study shows that scoring "often" or "always" on at least four of the seven items may suggest that you are addicted to Facebook.
About the Scale
In January 2011, 423 students – 227 women and 196 men – participated in tests for the Bergen Facebook Addiction Scale. The scale can facilitate treatment research, clinical assessment and can be used for the estimation of Facebook addiction prevalences in the general population worldwide.
The Bergen Facebook Addiction Scale has been developed at the Faculty of Psychology, University of Bergen in collaboration with the Bergen Clinics Foundation, Norway. The researchers involved are also working with instruments measuring other addictions, such as the recently introduced Bergen Work Addiction Scale.
The researchers have developed an online web-survey where participants get immediate and concise feedback on their degree of Facebook addiction (e.g., "Test yourself here – are you addicted to Facebook?"). You are welcome to use a link to the survey in your news stories about Bergen Facebook Addiction Scale. Please contact Dr Andreassen for further information and a link to the survey.
INFORMATION:
Journal reference:
CECILIE SCHOU ANDREASSEN, TORBJØRN TORSHEIM, GEIR SCOTT BRUNBORG, and STÅLE PALLESEN (2012) DEVELOPMENT OF A FACEBOOK ADDICTION SCALE. Psychological Reports: Volume 110, Issue , pp. 501-517.
doi: 10.2466/02.09.18.PR0.110.2.501-517
http://www.amsciepub.com/doi/abs/10.2466/02.09.18.PR0.110.2.501-517
New research about Facebook addiction
Are you a social media enthusiast or simply a Facebook addict? Researchers from Norway have developed a new instrument to measure Facebook addiction, the Bergen Facebook Addiction Scale
2012-05-08
[Attachments] See images for this press release:
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
The Professional Conference Organizer Top Congress organizes the Hormones Course for SEQC at hotel Meliá Los Galgos de Madrid.
2012-05-08
Professional Congress Organiser Top Congress held at the Meliá Los Galgos, a hotel with a privileged location in the Salamanca district of Madrid, next to the famous Calle Serrano and 2 km from the stadium Bernabeu, the 2011 edition of Hormones and usual course under the program of seminars and courses of the Spanish Society of Clinical Chemistry. With great success of participation and attendance, Top Congress is already working on the 2012 edition of this prestigious course
Top Congress specialises in the organisation and coordination of business events and the integral ...
New study examines what could predict children's snack choices
2012-05-08
Attitudes, relationships, intentions and personal behavior control are all factors that could affect a child's decision in either reaching for an apple or grabbing a bag of chips, according to a new study out of the University of Cincinnati. The research by Paul Branscum, assistant professor of health and exercise science at the University of Oklahoma, and Manoj Sharma, a University of Cincinnati professor of health promotion and education, is published in the International Quarterly of Community Health Education.
The study focused on 167 fourth-and-fifth-grade elementary ...
Overweight? New research explains how proper sleep is important for healthy weight
2012-05-08
Bethesda, MD—If you're counting calories to lose weight, that may be only part of the weight loss equation says a new research report published online in The FASEB Journal (http://www.fasebj.org). In the report, French scientists show that impairments to a gene known to be responsible for our internal body clocks, called "Rev-Erb alpha," leads to excessive weight gain and related health problems. This provides new insights into the importance of proper alignment between the body's internal timing and natural environmental light cycles to prevent or limit excessive weight ...
Nearly 12,000 Compete in The New Jersey Marathon And Long Branch Half Marathon
2012-05-08
Nearly 12,000 competitors ran, jogged, walked and wheeled their way through today's 16th Annual New Jersey Marathon and Long Branch Half Marathon on a cool, crisp, breezy morning down the Shore. Jason Page, 38, of Durham, N.C. won the men's marathon in 2:33:13, while Megan DiGregorio, 24, of White Marsh, Md., running in her first marathon ever, took the women's first place medal at 3:00:44. Samuel Spencer, 50, of Brick, N.J., won the wheel competition, covering the 26.2 miles in 1:45:51. The New Jersey Marathon course wound its way through eight New Jersey shore towns in ...
Picking the brains of strangers helps make sense of online information
2012-05-08
PITTSBURGH—People who have already sifted through online information to make sense of a subject can help strangers facing similar tasks without ever directly communicating with them, researchers at Carnegie Mellon University and Microsoft Research have demonstrated.
This process of distributed sensemaking, they say, could save time and result in a better understanding of the information needed for whatever goal users might have, whether it is planning a vacation, gathering information about a serious disease or trying to decide what product to buy.
The researchers ...
The gifts we keep on giving
2012-05-08
Birthdays, graduations, Christmas, baby showers, bridal showers, bar and bat mitzvahs, Mother's Day, Father's Day, first marriages (and second.. and third…), wedding anniversaries, the spontaneous friendship gesture, the occasional sorry-about-that gesture, hostess gifts and presents that don't even fall into a recognizable category. The year is filled with opportunities and obligations to give and receive.
So who can blame someone for doing a little recycling, or as it is commonly known, regifting? Not the person who actually gave the original gift, despite what a regifter ...
Online Series Clutch Wins Best Shorts Competition
2012-05-08
"This has been a tremendous ride for us, with the Webby's, L.A. Web Fest, the Communicators, and now the Best Shorts award," says Clutch creator Jonathan Robbins.
The Best Shorts Competition recognizes film professionals who demonstrate exceptional achievement in craft and creativity, and those who produce standout entertainment or contribute to profound social change. Entries are judged by highly qualified professionals in the film industry.
"What impresses me about this award is the international nature of the competition, sharing the prestige with ...
Happiness model developed by MU researcher could help people go from good to great
2012-05-08
COLUMBIA, Mo. -- The sayings "variety is the spice of life" and "happiness isn't getting what you want, but wanting what you get" seem to have a psychological basis, according to a new study by an MU psychologist who identified two keys to becoming happier and staying that way.
"Although the Declaration of Independence upholds the right to pursue happiness, that search can be a never-ending quest," said Kennon Sheldon, professor of psychological sciences in the College of Arts and Sciences. "Previous research shows that an individual's happiness can increase after major ...
Power generation technology based on piezoelectric nanocomposite materials developed by KAIST
2012-05-08
The team of Professor Keon Jae Lee (http://fand.kaist.ac.kr/) from the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, KAIST, has developed new forms of low cost, large-area nanogenerator technology using the piezoelectric ceramic nanoparticles.
Piezoelectric effects-based nanogenerator technology that converts existing sources of nonpolluting energies, such as vibrational and mechanical energy from the nature of wind and waves, into infinite electrical energy is drawing immense interest in the next-generation energy harvesting technology. However, previous nanogenerator ...
ITS Academy of Beauty in Odessa Helps Pamper Moms for Less
2012-05-08
You can show your mom you not only care about her, but you recognize a good deal when you see one by purchasing a Mother's Day Pamper Package for $25 at ITS Academy of Beauty school, 1541 J.B.S Parkway in Odessa.
The $25 package includes shampoo and conditioning treatment, haircut, blow dry and style, basic manicure and pedicure, as well as a facial with makeup. Packages are on sale through May 12, but there is no expiration on when they can be redeemed.
Walk ins are welcome and no appointment is necessary. Services are performed by students under the supervision of ...
LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:
High-speed all-optical neural networks empowered spatiotemporal mode multiplexing
High-energy-density barocaloric material could enable smaller, lighter solid-state cooling devices
Progresses on damped wave equations: Multi-wave Stability from partially degenerate flux
First discoveries from new Subaru Telescope program
Ultrafast laser shock straining in chiral chain 2D materials: Mold topology‑controlled anisotropic deformation
Socially aware AI helps autonomous vehicles weave through crowds without collisions
KAIST unveils cause of performance degradation in electric vehicle high-nickel batteries: "added with good intentions
New ECU tool can help concussion patients manage fear and improve recovery
People with diabetes face higher risk of sudden cardiac death
Breast density notification increases levels of confusion and anxiousness among women
K’gari’s world famous lakes could be at risk of drying
Airplane and hospital air is cleaner than you might think
Concern over harmful medical advice from social media influencers
Telling women as part of mammography screening that they have dense breasts may have unintended effects
Note- taking alone or combined with large language models helps students understand and remember better than large language models alone
Astronomers spot one of the largest spinning structures ever found in the Universe
Retinal organoid platform identifies biomarkers and affords genetic testing for retinal disease
New roadmap reveals how everyday chemicals and microbes interact to fuel antimicrobial resistance
Scientists clarify how much metal in soil is “too much” for people and the environment
Breakthrough pediatric kidney therapy emerges from U. Iowa research
Breakthrough iron-based magnetic material achieves major reduction in core loss
New design tackles heat challenges in high-power fiber lasers
Rapid fabrication of self-propelled, steerable magnetic microcatheters for precision medicine
Poor kidney health linked to higher levels of Alzheimer’s biomarkers in blood
A metamaterial that bridges air and water
Evaluating building materials for climate impact and noise suppression
Scores of dinosaurs walked and swam along a Bolivian shoreline
Captive bottlenose dolphins vary vocalizations during enrichment activities
Adults who want children favor older-looking partners (but not for their money), study suggests
Authoritative parenting styles are associated with better mental health and self-esteem among adolescents, while authoritarian parenting styles are associated with depression and lower self-esteem and
[Press-News.org] New research about Facebook addictionAre you a social media enthusiast or simply a Facebook addict? Researchers from Norway have developed a new instrument to measure Facebook addiction, the Bergen Facebook Addiction Scale