Is the Internet making us crazy? A recent article in Newsweek Magazine asks that very question and finds that increasingly, experts think it might be. Internet Addiction is at term you may have heard before, and next year for the first time, it will be included in the DSM, the guide that psychiatrists used to classify mental disorders. Though extreme, life-threatening cases are rare, studies have shown that the brains of heavy internet uses often resemble the brains of drug and alcohol addicts. Here’s the kicker: as little as 38 hours a week online can be considered heavy use. By that standard, almost everyone has something to worry about. In the past few years, we’ve begun to outsource our brains more than ever before and that behavior will only grow as devices get more affordable and more efficient. The way we approach everything from shopping to education will continue to change, so we’d better find a way to make it work.
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