According to a new research, as many as 5.7 million people in the UK – about 11 per cent of UK’s total population – suffer from a disorder dubbed ‘netbrain’, which is caused by overuse of the internet. Those suffering from the disorder may show narcissism, distraction and fear of missing out, the study has found.
The research – carried out by VisualDNA, a London-based technology and psychometrics company, and University College London – claims that those suffering from ‘netbrain’ are more likely to be found gambling online, socialising on social networks and playing video games, researchers said.
The affliction is said to affect 5.7 million British adults, or 11 per cent of the population – the same proportion that suffers from dyslexia, researchers added.
Smartphone owners are nearly three times more likely to have netbrain and those suffering from the condition are nearly four times more likely to exhibit anti-social behaviour than those who do not.
Of the 1,000 adults studied for the research, nearly a third of adults aged 18 to 34 suffer from the condition, compared with 11 per cent of 35 to 54-year-olds and 4 per cent of those aged over 55.
Netbrain has a “tangible effect on not only an individual’s actions in various social situations but also their work-life tension,” researchers said.
This showed the potential negative effects of an individual’s relationship with technology, researchers said.
