How Modern Lifestyle Is Affecting Mental Health
Various lifestyle or health-related activities can significantly influence a person’s mental and physical health. A modern way of living may increase the risk of specific psychological and physiological health issues. Let’s look at how modern living can damage physical and emotional health.
Modern technology can significantly impact users’ mental and physical health. Excessive attachment to or reliance on contemporary technology can result in psychological disorders such as distraction, narcissism, and even sadness.
However, you can keep your mental health in check by striking a balance between online and offline social contacts, managing screen time, and moving forward.
This section will examine how modern lifestyles and technology have affected people’s psychological health.
1. Isolation
Social media usage time may also affect mental health. According to a nationwide study conducted by academics at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine (Pitt) in Pennsylvania, the longer people spend on social media, the more likely they are to be socially isolated, especially if they are between the ages of 19 and 32.
The prevalence of mental health conditions and social isolation among young adults makes this a crucial subject.
We are innately sociable creatures, yet modern life tends to separate us rather than bring us together. While social media may provide opportunities to fill that social hole, I believe this study reveals that it may not be the solution individuals were hoping for.
Significantly, the feeling of isolation can greatly impact your mental health, which may lead to poor eating habits that may promote poor body health. However, one can use THC to help deal with the feeling. THC Oil, a psychoactive constituent of cannabis, has been found in animal and human research to help reduce feelings of isolation, autism symptoms, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
THC appears to be able to relax the brain and assist the hippocampus, a brain area critical for healthy mood and memory.
2. Depression
A study performed by Pitt’s School of Medicine discovered that prolonged use of social media is connected with depression in young adults. People who checked social media often were 2.7 times more likely to experience depression than those who checked it less frequently.
Similarly, sitting down for a lengthy binge-watching session of your favorite TV show has been linked to weariness, loneliness, obesity, and despair.
However, according to research published in Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, you don’t have to give up social media entirely; modifying your behavior on social networking sites and taking an occasional break may help improve your spirits.
This study indicated that ‘lurking’ on Facebook can produce negative emotions, which supports earlier research. However, as past research has shown, actively connecting with close friends, whether in person or on Facebook, may boost one’s sense of well-being.
Research suggests autistic people may be more likely to experience depression than others. ABA therapy in Port St. Lucie is successful in treating depression without the need for medication.
3. Happiness
According to the relationship contradiction, most people are less famous on social media than their friends, which can lead to feeling less joyful and happy.
According to this study, happiness is linked to popularity, and most users on social media networks are not as happy compared to their friends because of this friendship-popularity relationship.
Overall, the study report found that social media users may experience high degrees of social discontent, unhappiness, or grief when comparing their popularity and happiness to that of their peers.
4. The emergence of the ‘constant checker.’
The last decade’s technical and social media improvements have produced the “continuous checker.” A constant checker is a person who constantly checks their texts, emails, and social media accounts. This profile is synonymous with 43% of U.S. individuals.
Continuously connecting in this manner has been linked to increased stress levels. Furthermore, 18% say that technology is a significant source of stress in their lives.
On a typical day in the United States, 44 percent check social media, 65 percent of adults check personal email, 52 percent check texts, and 28 percent check business emails.
Constant checkers have significantly greater stress levels than people who do not regularly use technology or social media.
For example, 42 percent of often checkers, compared to 27 percent of non-constant checkers, are concerned about the impact of social media on their physical and mental health.
5. Video gaming and aggression
Other types of interaction with a poor reputation are video games for kids; some research reports show a link between video games and violence. According to a study report, while four hours of video game play can induce depression in teenagers, continual usage of social media and instant messaging can minimize these symptoms in some people.
While playing video games for hours a day may be concerning, not everyone who engages in it is in danger of acquiring signs of depression, addiction, or anxiety.
Suppose teenagers hang around playing games with their pals or frequently conversing with their friends online. In that case, this could be part of a general growth pattern.
Despite the potential risks to a psychological state, trends in the last decade demonstrate that the use of technology and social media is expanding, so these difficulties do not look to be going away anytime soon.
Bottomline
Living with such psychological disorders is very tough, and any delay in treatment may aggravate the symptoms of diseases. But striving to balance online and real-world social contacts, and thinking positively, can help maintain our mental health or psychological state in control. Significantly, systematic planning at the micro and macro levels, concerning each aspect, can promote a social and individual healthy lifestyle.