The United States could be full of Internet addicts as clinically ill as alcoholics, a study released last Tuesday suggested.
Researchers at Stanford University School of Medicine in Stanford, California, said their telephone survey showed that more than one in eight US residents showed at least one sign of “problematic Internet use.”
The findings backed those of previous, less rigorous studies, according to the Stanford researchers.
Most disturbing was the discovery that some people hid their Internet surfing, or went online to cure foul moods in ways that are very similar to how alcoholics use alcohol, according to the study's lead author, Elias Aboujaoude.
“In a sense, they're using the Internet to self-medicate,” Aboujaoude said. “And obviously something is wrong when people go out of their way to hide their Internet activity.”
According to research, the typical Internet addict is a single, college-educated white male in his 30s, who spends approximately 30 hours a week on non-essential computer use.
Stanford researchers interviewed 2,513 adults in a nationwide household survey. Because Internet addiction has not been clinically defined as a medical condition, study questions were based on established addiction disorders.
Research indicated that nearly 14 percent of the respondents found it difficult to stay away from the Internet for several days and that slightly more than 12 percent often remained online longer than expected.
More than eight percent of the people surveyed said they hid “non-essential” Internet use from family, friends or employers and nearly the same number went online to flee from real-world problems.
Nearly six percent of the respondents felt that their personal relationships suffered due to their excessive Internet use.(AFP)
上週二公布的一份研究顯示,美國可能充斥網路成癮者,他們在臨床病理上就有如酒精中毒者一樣。
加州史丹佛大學醫學院的研究人員指出,他們的電話民調顯示八位美國居民中就有一位以上出現至少一種「網路使用不當」的跡象。
史丹佛的研究人員表示,這些結果支持了先前較不精確的研究。
這份研究的主導作者艾莉亞絲.阿布賈德表示,這份研究最引人憂心的就是發現部分民眾有隱瞞上網的情形,或上網治療壞心情的方式與酒精中毒者飲酒相似。
「一方面來說,他們用網路來自我治療,」阿布賈德說︰「當人們千方百計隱瞞自己上網的行為時,顯然有問題。」
根據研究,典型的網路成癮者是大學畢業的三十多歲單身白人男性,每週約花三十個小時在非必要的電腦操作上。
史丹佛研究人員在全美戶口調查時訪談了兩千五百一十三名成年人。由於網路成癮在臨床上並未被定義為一種醫學狀況,調查中問的問題都是基於已成立的成癮症狀。
研究顯示,將近14%的受訪者很難好幾天不上網,略高於12%的受訪者上網時間通常比預計久。
逾8%的受訪者表示他們對家人、朋友或雇主隱瞞自己「非必要」的上網情形,而上網來逃避真實世界煩惱的人數也差不多。
將近6%的受訪者感到自己因過度上網,讓人際關係變糟。
(法新社/翻譯:賴美君)
The strongest earthquake to hit Taiwan in 25 years killed at least 16 people and damaged dozens of buildings, but the destruction was largely contained thanks to decades of preparedness work. Taiwan sits on the “Ring of Fire,” an arc of intense seismic activity along the Pacific Rim, and — much like neighboring Japan — has a long history of catastrophic quakes. How does April 3 compare with other recent quakes? The April 3 earthquake, which measured 7.4 on the moment magnitude scale, was felt across Taiwan. It was the most severe since a 7.6 magnitude quake in 1999 killed
Around the time of the Dragon Boat Festival in June, the streets of Taiwan are filled with the delightful aroma of zongzi, a traditional snack made of sticky rice wrapped in leaves. The leaves are folded into a cone and then filled with sticky rice and other ingredients such as braised pork belly, peanuts and salted duck egg yolks. The filled leaves are then tightly tied with kitchen twine and ready for cooking. 每到六月端午時節,街頭巷尾就會飄出粽子的香氣。粽子是將糯米包進粽葉的傳統美食,先將粽葉折成圓錐狀塞入糯米,以及紅燒肉、花生、鹹鴨蛋黃等配料,用棉線綁緊後即可烹煮。 Dragon Boat Festival (n. phr.) 端午節 aroma
Everyone has seen a piece of fruit turn brown after being cut. Have you ever wondered why that happens? It is a common phenomenon that occurs due to a chemical reaction called enzymatic browning. The appearance, flavor and nutritional value of the fruit are all affected by this reaction. Some fruits, such as apples, pears, bananas, avocados and peaches, are more prone to enzymatic browning than others. These fruits contain high levels of an enzyme called polyphenol oxidase, or PPO for short. __1__ This causes a chain of chemical reactions that ultimately transforms the phenolic compounds into
There are several methods to prevent or slow down enzymatic browning in fruit. __3__ This lowers the pH level of the fruit tissue, causing the PPO to be far less active. Another method is to store the fruit in an airtight container or to wrap it tightly with plastic wrap. Doing this will reduce its exposure to oxygen. __4__ Although fruit that has undergone enzymatic browning may look less appealing, it is still safe to eat. However, by using one of these simple methods, you can enjoy fresh-looking fruit for a longer period. 有一些方法能避免或減緩水果的酶促褐變。其中一個有效的方式就是在切片水果的表面塗上酸性物質,像是檸檬汁或醋。這樣做能降低水果組織的酸鹼值,讓 PPO 更不為活躍。另一個方式是將水果存放在密封的容器內,或用保鮮膜將其緊緊包住。這樣做會減少水果與氧氣的接觸。快速蒸一下切片水果或將其短暫浸泡在滾水中也能使PPO失去活性,並終止 PPO 與空氣的作用。 雖然經歷酶促褐變的水果可能看起來較不吸引人,但仍然可以安全食用。然而,藉由採用這些簡單方法中的其中一個,你就能在更長的一段時間享用看起來新鮮的水果。 What Did You