10 Recent Tech Studies That Will Depress You

Image via Complex Original

Year released: 2013
Commissioned by: Technology Policy Institute

If if seems like you can never get off the computer, your worries are probably spot on. Scott Wallsten of the Technology Policy Institute has found that our offline activities like leisure or socializing are becoming replaced by the Internet. Additionally (and unsurprisingly), it's also cutting into our working hours, slowly subsuming every minute and hour of your work day. Essentially, Wallsten's report confirms our worst fears: we're becoming addicted to the Internet, even when it's completely unproductive for us to spend time on it.

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Year released: 2013
Commissioned by: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Compiling surveys from 2011, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention found that one in six United States high school students reported to being cyberbullied within the past 12 months. As we're becoming more and more connected the digital world, the opportunities for this type of malicious behavior only become more prevalent. The study also calculated that 31 percent of a high school student's time on the computer is spent doing something other than school. Essentially, this data means that students have left themselves more vulnerable to a cyber attack.

As Andrew Adesman of the Cohen Children's Medical Center of New York points out, it couldn't come at a worse time in their lives, either. "Electronic bullying of high school students threatens the self-esteem, emotional well-being and social standing of youth at a very vulnerable stage of their development," said Adesman. How will these findings affect the self-worth and confidence of future generations?

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Year released: 2012
Commissioned by: Sax Institute, Australia

Unless you're a person who uses a standing desk (and let's be honest, there aren't many of you) spending your day in front of your computer is a detriment to your health. Why? Because sitting for more than three hours a day can reduce your life expectancy by 1.4 years according to a study from Australia's Sax Institute. A similar report found that out of 123,000 Americans, the death rate was 20 percent higher in those who sat for six or more hours a day. In women, the difference was 40 percent. If that doesn't motivate you to get on your feet, what will?

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Year released: 2014
Commissioned by: Center for Talent Innovation

It has never been easy for women to break into the tech industry, but a discouraging new study by the Center for Talent Innovation has found that even when women do get tech jobs, it's hard for them to keep the positions. According to the results, 45 percent of women are more likely to leave their jobs after the first year than men. The report blamed gender bias as the primary issue in this case, proving what has long been an unspoken truth within the industry: women have an undeniably more difficult time succeeding in tech than men.

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Year released: 2012
Commissioned by: University of Bergen, Norway

Do you feel an urge to use Facebook at times? Have you tried to delete your account and failed? Has it ever had a negative impact on your job or education? If you identify strongly with any of these questions, then you're probably one of the many Facebook addicts according to Cecilie Andraessen's Bergen Facebook Addiction Scale.

Even worse, Andraessen had some pretty cutting remarks for heavy Facebook 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," said Andreassen. Want to prove her wrong? Then get off your computer and get out into the real world.

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Year released: 2012
Commissioned by: Missouri University of Science and Technology

Do you ever worry about an important email you're expecting? Or are you dreading the next message you're about to receive from your boss? Chances are you have some sort of anxious or emotional issue, which is only being exacerbated by your email use. Findings from the Missouri University of Science and Technology confirmed that depressive people engaged with their email at an alarming rate. If you're ever frantically updating your Gmail or checking your phone for a new message every five minutes, then it's probably safe to say that you qualify as one of these individuals. Don't let email rule your life any longer.

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Year released: 2010
Commissioned by: Leeds University

If you qualify as an "internet addict," then Leeds University has some unsettling news for you. In 2010, the English university found that Internet addicts were more likely to suffer from depression than non-Internet dependents. Additionally, the study concluded that the addicted individuals spent more time on sex-related websites, gaming communities, social media sites. Basically, if you're using the Internet as a substitute for real-life entertainment, then it will probably end up depressing you. Virtual reality is nice every now and then, but at the end of the day, nothing can properly replace the real deal.

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Year released: 2013
Commissioned by: Human Computer Institute at Carnegie Mellon

Ever flip through your NewsFeed and see some pictures of your friends on vacation, enjoying a poolside cocktail? We all know how annoying that can be, seeing them having the time of their life while you're slogging away in the office. However, not only does it make you jealous, but activity like this (known by the Human Computer Institute at Carnegie Mellon as "passive consumption") has also been connected to deep pangs of loneliness.

It makes sense. If you see someone having a great time with a bunch of people, not only will wish you were doing the same, but you could start to draw irrational conclusions about why you aren't doing the same. Don't let the green-eyed monster drag you down too much. The pictures you see on your NewsFeed only tell half the story. That cocktail was probably over-priced and watered-down anyway.

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Year released: 2012
Commissioned by: University of Gothenburg, Sweden

Not only is technology making our work days more stressful, but it's also affecting us during all hours of the night. According to the University of Gothenburg in Sweden, studies revealed that late-night use of your technological gadgets can cause sleeping disorders and mental health issues, eventually leading to fatigue and depression. If you're wondering why you haven't gotten a good night's sleep in months, then all your late-night activity on the web is likely to blame. Instead of watching a movie on Netflix, maybe consider reading a book instead.

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Year released: 2013
Commissioned by: University of Michigan

Recently, neuroscientists at the University of Michigan made an unfortunate discovery about our relationship with Facebook: it's only bringing us down. The study concluded that increased use of Facebook made individuals less happy from moment-to-moment, and less satisfied with their overall lives. Added researcher John Jonides, "When you're on a site like Facebook, you get lots of posts about what people are doing. That sets up social comparison - you maybe feel your life is not as full and rich as those people you see on Facebook." The study offered an obvious solution: use less of the social media tool. If only it were that easy.

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