Is Social Networking Becoming Addicting for the Right or Wrong Reasons?

II. Executive Summary

Social Networking affects the mind because it releases endorphins and dopamine into ones brain, it can be addicting, and it can increase one's lifespan.

Endorphin and Dopamine Release

- An endorphin is any of a group of peptides occurring in the brain and other tissues of vertebrates, and resembling opiates, that react with the brain's opiate receptors to raise the pain threshold

- Endorphins and dopamine is released into the brain when one receives and piece of information concerning social networking.

Life Span Increase

- Social networking could reduce cardiovascular risks, like heart attack and stroke.

- People are less likely to become ill when surrounded by a supportive group of people, even if that group of people is virtual.

Addiction

- Social networking is addicting because of the endorphin and dopamine released while communicating.

- According to researchers from the University of North Texas Health Science Center in Ft. Worth, texting behind the wheel caused 16,141 deaths between 2002 and 2007.

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III. Historical Backround

Opioid neuropeptides were first discovered in 1974 by two self-governing groups of investigators. John Hughes and Hans Kosterlitz of Scotland isolated, from the brain of a pig, what they called enkephalins. An enkephalin is a pentapeptide and is termed as an endogenous ligand, or specifically an endorphin, as they are internally resulting and bind to the body's opioid receptors. Around the same time Rabi Simantov and Solomon H. Snyder from the United States found "endorphins", by an abbreviation of "endogenous morphine", in the calf brain.

Dopamine was first synthesized in 1910 by George Barger and James Ewens at Wellcome Laboratories in London, England. Dopamine's function, as a neurotransmitter, was first recognized in 1958 by Arvid Carlsson and Nils-Åke Hillarp at the Laboratory for Chemical Pharmacology of the National Heart Institute of Sweden. Carlsson was awarded the 2000 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for showing that dopamine is not just a precursor of norepinephrine (noradrenaline) and epinephrine (adrenaline), but a neurotransmitter as well.

Social networking has been around for a long while, yet it wasn't until the internet and the world wide web were born that social networking became viral. The access to the internet and world wide web made social networking easier to obtain, then different virtual social networking sites became, for example MySpace, Facebook, and Twitter.

IV. Current Situation/Data Summary

Social networking affects the mind because it releases endorphins and dopamine into the brain, it can increase one's lifespan, and can be addicting.

1. The first chart demonstrates the reasons for people being on Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, and Digg. It clearly shows why people are interested in those social networking cites.

2. The second image shows how rapidly Facebook use is increasing.

3. The third graph compares the internet users and Facebook users in the Middle East.

4. The fourth image is a representation of the brain and how dopamine functions within it.

5. The fifth picture shows how texting can be addicting and make someone do something dumb, like text and drive.

V. Solutions

Although social networking is pleasurable, it has some negative outcomes like being a distraction. To solve all of the issues, endorphin and dopamine release, addiction, and increasing one's lifespan.

• Create a group of real friends, that you don't contact virtually, but in real life to be supported by.

• To increase endorphin release; have a healthy relationship with someone you love, eat spicy food, or exercise.

• To increase dopamine release have; a healthy relationship with someone you love, do drugs, or eat food.

• To