Highly neurotic people lead lives with great emotional instability. This can cause them to live with various negative emotions, develop sleep issues, and struggle to maintain stable relationships and careers.
People with high neuroticism are also more likely to develop addictions such as an addiction to the internet. With the internet taking up so much of our lives, it is easy to understand why anyone would become addicted to it. It has infiltrated every aspect of life, making it nearly impossible to separate from it.
But what role does neuroticism play in this? Read on to learn more about neuroticism, how it contributes to internet addictions, and how you can cut back on your internet usage.
What Is Neuroticism?
In the past, the words “neuroticism,” “neurotic,” and “neurosis” were used negatively to define a person with a mental illness. It was a derogatory term meant to imply that something was wrong with the person in question.
However, the term has transformed into a new meaning. Today, neuroticism is a personality trait in the Big Five Model of personality. This trait measures emotional stability and indicates how likely a person will interpret situations as threats.
Neuroticism is not a disorder or mental illness. However, people who are extremely neurotic often live with a mental illness or disorder. This is because highly neurotic people are more likely to experience:
- Anxiety
- Chronic stress
- Low self-esteem
- Irritability
- Depression
- Emotional instability
Consistently living with these painful emotions can easily become a mental health condition. People with high neuroticism often develop addictions to help cope with their pain. One common addiction is to the internet and technology.
How Does Neuroticism Contribute To A Technology Addiction
Due to the challenges of this personality trait, those who measure high in neuroticism are often impulsive and shift through emotions very quickly. This can cause a strain in relationships, making socializing quite difficult.
Consequently, neuroticism is often accompanied by avoidant behavior. Those who measure high in neuroticism often prefer to avoid face-to-face communication due to their predisposition to emotional instability. The internet is a tool that allows neurotic people to socialize without the pressures and emotional difficulty of interacting in person.
Furthermore, the internet provides plenty of fun and leisure activities that allow them to have fun without getting too involved in social groups or participating. This makes it easier for them to remain calm, as they don’t have to invest much emotion into what they are doing.
However, this means that neurotic people tend to become dependent on the internet as their only source of socialization or fun. This dependency can easily lead to an addiction, where it becomes difficult for the person to stay engaged in normal reality. Neurotic people addicted to the internet often put in less work to form relationships offline, leading to very lonely lives where they remain friends only with their screens. Furthermore, increased internet use may negatively affect their mental health or worsen any current conditions.
Tips to Cut Back On Internet Usage
Whether neurotic or not, chances are you probably spend more time on the internet than you would like. While cutting the internet out completely is probably not an option, you can still do some things to create healthy boundaries with it and cut down your usage.
To cut down on your usage and create a healthier relationship with your technology and the internet, try some of the following tips:
- Block sites that hurt your mental health or are just unnecessary distractions.
- Put your phone away to socialize or enjoy a more restorative hobby.
- Disable notifications so you are not checking your phone every few minutes.
- Schedule some time each day when you are “not allowed” to use the internet.
- Remove apps that you don’t need or just waste your time.
Bottom Line
If you measure high in neuroticism, the internet may give you comfort and calm that real-life interactions rarely provide. However, internet addiction can harm your mental health and prevent you from enjoying real life. By being mindful and trying some of the tips above, you can develop a healthier relationship with the internet.
Marie Miguel Biography
Marie Miguel has been a writing and research expert for nearly a decade, covering a variety of health-related topics. Currently, she is contributing to the expansion and growth of a free online mental health resource with BetterHelp.com. With an interest and dedication to addressing stigmas associated with mental health, she continues to specifically target subjects related to anxiety and depression.
