Beware, Facebook or Social Media Addiction Can Trigger Cocaine-Like High

Can spending excessive time on Facebook or other social media be as dangerous as addiction to cocaine or gambling?

Well, yes, if researchers from California State University-Fullerton are to be believed.

They say social media obsession may lead to something akin to classical addiction. Such use triggers two key parts of the brain associated with rewards: The amygdala which is the integrative place for emotions, behaviour and motivation and the striatum -- part of the forebrain and a critical component of the reward system.

The findings, recently published in the journal Psychological Reports: Disability and Trauma showed that social media-related "addictions" share some neural features with substance and gambling addictions.