Internet use appears to cause a decline in psychological well-being, according to research at Carnegie Mellon University.

    Even people who spent just a few hours a week on the Internet experienced more depression and loneliness than those who logged on less frequently, the two-year study showed. And it wasn't that people who were already feeling bad spent more time on the Internet, but that using the Net actually appeared to cause the bad feelings.

    Researchers are puzzling over the results, which were completely contrary to their expectations. They expected that the Net would prove socially healthier than television, since the Net allows users to choose their information and to communicate with others.

    The fact that Internet use reduces time available for family and friends may account for the drop in well-being, researchers hypothesized. Faceless, bodiless "virtual" communication may be less psychologically satisfying than actual conversation, and the relationships formed through it may be shallower. Another possibility is that exposure to the wider world via the Net makes users less satisfied with their lives. 

    "But it's important to remember this is not about the technology, per se; it's about how it is used," says psychologist Christine Riley of Intel, one of the study's sponsors. "It really points to the need for considering social factors in terms of how you design applications and services for technology."  

    根據卡內基·麥倫大學的研究，使用因特網可能會導致心理健康程度下降。

    兩年的研究表明，上網次數多的人與較少的人相比，即使是一周僅上網幾小時也會經常地感覺到沮喪和孤獨。這不是說已經有不良感覺的人在網上花費了更多的時間，而是說使用因特網似乎確實誘發了人們的不良感覺。

    研究人員對這些結果困惑不解，因為這與他們的預料截然相反。他們預測，和看電視相比，從社交角度來說，上網可能更健康一些因為網絡允許使用者選擇自己需要的信息并且和別人進行交流。 

    研究者推測說，實際情況是上網使網民減少了和家人及朋友共度的時光，這也許可以解釋他們心理健康狀況下降的原因。和面對面的交談相比，這種見不著面、看不見人的“虛”的交流可能會使人從心理上缺乏滿足感。人們通過這種交流結下的友誼也不會太深。還有一種可能是，網民通過因特網所了解到的廣闊世界使他們對自己的生活不那么滿意了。

    “然而，重要的是不要忘記這與技術本身是無關的，問題在于如何使用因特網。”這項研究的發起人之一、心理學家、英特爾公司的克里斯廷·賴利說，“這的確表明在考慮從技術上如何設計應用和服務時有必要把社會因素考慮進去。