This is your brain on Facebook

Updated
This is your brain on Facebook

You might pride yourself on not having any vices but there may be one you're overlooking: social media.

For some, it's easy to pass on drugs, drinking and sex, but tell them their Facebook account isn't working, look out! Or, on the flip side, see that a picture of yours got fifty "likes" and notice how excited you get.

The highs and lows you get from being online have been equated to similar emotions you feel on drugs. They even call it "digital dopamine" as both activities release comparable chemicals in the brain. Same thing for you gamblers.

And if you don't get that dopamine, you might experience feelings of depression.

While scientists draw parallels between social media and drug addiction, they aren't exact duplicates. One psychologist at California State University Fullerton says, Facebook users "have the ability to control their behavior, but they don't have the motivation to control this behavior because they don't see the consequences to be that severe."

So if you see yourself posting too much, try a detox. Create some boundaries when phones aren't allowed or areas where you can't use computers. By doing so, you might even find real life is not just about starring at the computer screen and is actually... kind of fun!

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