More than 87,500 adults participated in the new scientific study. The results showed that the Internet can be beneficial for people aged 50 and over. It helps reduce depressive symptoms and increase overall life satisfaction. In addition, internet users are on average 15% more positive about their health than those who do not use the internet.
During the research, experts analyzed the internet habits of people from 23 countries. They then found how these habits affected participants’ depression and life satisfaction. The strongest positive effects of Internet use were experienced by residents of the United States, Great Britain and China. It also provided significant benefits to those over 65, those who were unmarried and those with fewer social contacts.
But participants didn’t need to spend time online frequently to benefit from this. Some of the six groups the researchers focused on used the Internet less than once a week. However, in the US, UK and US, those who went online more frequently were found to have better mental health.
The benefits of spending time online were the same in all countries. Co-author of the study, Dr. Qingpeng Zhang told BBC Science Focus:
The results of the research were published in the journal Nature.
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Source: Ferra
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