HEALTH CAPSULES

Too much use of social media may cause brain imbalance

Whenever there is an imbalance between two cognitive-behavioral systems in the human brain, there is a higher rate of problematic use of social networking sites (SNS),  says a new study published in Journal of Management Information Systems. It found that the impulsive act of checking Facebook while driving, in a work meeting, or at other times that could lead to negative consequences, has been linked to a deficiency in the balance between two systems in the brain. Researchers studied responses from 341  college students who use Facebook. They analysed problematic Facebook use data to track their academic performance — in this case using grade point average — for both semesters and cumulatively. At least 76 per cent reported using Facebook in class, while 40 per cent reported using it while driving.  Experts found that problematic use of Facebook negatively affected students’ academic performance, with the higher the problematic use, the lower the GPA. The study suggested that individuals could begin to limit their problematic social media use by, for example, turning off social media notifications on their phone.  — Agencies