Facebook and Twitter Are Harder to Resist Than Cigarettes and Alcohol

If you can't fight the constant urge to check what's happening on Facebook or Twitter every waking moment of your miserable existence, you're not alone.

Researchers at the University of Chicago found that it's harder to resist the urge to check Facebook, Twitter, and email on your cell phone than it is for smokers and drinkers to resist cigarettes and alcohol.

The researchers gave BlackBerries to volunteers of all ages and told them to carry them throughout their normal day. Then they sent the volunteers messages at various points throughout the day asking if they had been tempted to check their Facebook, Twitter, or email messages in the last half hour.

Volunteers said they had the desire to check their messages 75% of the time.

Based on previous studies, smokers and drinkers did a better job at fighting off their urges than the volunteers did with social media.

(Forbes)