Web-browsing patterns reflect and shape mood and mental health.

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Human-Computer Interaction
• Digital Well-being

Background:

• Humans spend significant time online, with information-seeking being a primary activity.
• The impact of online information-seeking on mental health remains an important area of research.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between the valence of information sought online and mental health.
• To determine if this relationship is causal and bidirectional.
• To develop an intervention to improve mood through altered web-browsing patterns.

Main Methods:

• Four studies involving 1,145 participants were conducted.
• Natural language processing was used to quantify the valence of text on browsed webpages.
• Experimental manipulation of webpages and mood measurements were employed to establish causality.

Main Results:

• Browsing negative information was associated with worse mental health and mood.
• The relationship between information valence and mental health was found to be causal and bidirectional.
• An intervention successfully altered web-browsing patterns and improved mood.

Conclusions:

• The valence of information sought online reflects and shapes mental state, creating a self-reinforcing loop.
• This loop may perpetuate mental health issues.
• Findings offer potential methods for assessing and enhancing digital well-being.