Internet addiction 'isn't a figment of our imagination, ' says a researcher. (Shutterstock)

(Newser) – Internet addiction may be in our genes—just like nicotine addiction. In a study of 843 people, researchers found that 132 suffered "problematic" online behavior: "All their thoughts revolve around the Internet during the day, and they feel their well-being is severely impacted if they have to go without it." Members of this group were more likely than their peers to have a genetic variation associated with nicotine addiction.

For those with the variation, nicotine links to a receptor to fuel the brain's reward system; something similar may be going on with the Internet. Interestingly, the phenomenon is more pronounced in women, CNET reports. "Internet addiction is not a figment of our imagination, " says the study's lead author. "The current data already shows that there are clear indications for genetic causes of Internet addiction." And "if such connections are better understood, this will also result in important indications for better therapies.

网瘾可能源自基因变异

发布时间：2012-09-11

文章出自：译言

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（Newser） - 网瘾可能存在于我们的基因中，就像尼古丁上瘾。在一项针对843人的研究中，研究人员发现，有132人出现“有问题”的网上行为：“一天到晚他们总是想着互联网，他们觉得如果没有互联网，自己的幸福就会受到严重影响。”这一组成员比他们的同龄人更有可能患有与尼古丁成瘾相关的基因变异。

对那些有这种变异的人来说，尼古丁与为大脑奖赏系统提供能量的受体联系密切；CNET报道说，互联网可能与此类似。有趣的是，这种现象在女性中更为明显。 “网瘾不是我们的想象和虚构，”这项研究的主要作者说。 “目前的数据显示，有明显的迹象表明网瘾是遗传因素的作用。”他说：“如果能更好地理解这类关联性，这也就意味着我们可以找到更好的治疗方法。”Same mutation associated with nicotine addiction

Internet Addiction Might Be Genetic

网瘾可能源自基因变异