Facebook addiction and impulsive decision-making

Introduction: This study examined the relationship between Facebook ‘addiction’ and impulsive decision-making. Impulsive decision-making, as measured by the delay discounting task, is associated with a number of addictions and other problem behaviors. Methods: We gave 75 students a paper-based packet including the Bergen Facebook Addiction Scale to measure Facebook addiction and a delay discounting task to assess one facet of impulsivity, impulsive choice. Results: When controlling for covariates, we found that those addicted to Facebook discounted delayed rewards more quickly than their non-addicted controls. Discussion: These findings suggest that those addicted to Facebook may be more impulsive than those who are not addicted to Facebook. These results may indicate that Facebook addiction shares a core characteristic (impulsivity) with other kinds of addiction and further exploration of this area is potentially warranted.