Poor decision-making is a trait often associated with drug addicts and pathological gamblers, but what about people who use social media excessively? New research shows a link between social media use and risky decision-making, which often shows a shortage of addictive substances. The findings are the first to examine the relationship between social media use and risky decision-making opportunities.
The researchers had 71 participants complete a survey that measured their psychological dependence on Facebook, similar to addiction. Questions asked were about users' main occupation with the platform, their feelings when they couldn't use it, attempts to quit, and the impact Facebook has had on their work or studies.
The researchers then assigned participants to the Iowa Gambling Task, a common exercise used by psychologists to measure decision-making. To successfully complete the task, users identify outcome patterns in decks to choose the best deck possible.
The researchers found that at the end of the gambling task, the worse people perform by choosing poor card games, the more excessive their use of social media. The better they have done this job, the less their social media use. This result is complementary to results with substance abusers. People who abuse opioids, cocaine, methamphetamine, among others – have similar outcomes for the Iowa Gambling Task, showing the same decision shortcoming.
