A survey of people in 168 countries found that Internet use might boost measures of well-being, such as life satisfaction and sense of purpose. Researchers examined associations between internet use and access and a broad variety of well-being indicators in a representative sample of close to 2,500,000 individuals within an age range that spanned from late adolescence to older adults.

On average, across countries and demographics, individuals who had internet access, mobile internet access, or actively used the internet reported greater levels of life satisfaction, positive experiences, experiences of purpose, and physical, community, and social well-being, and lower levels of negative experiences.— even when controlling for confounding factors such as income and education. The positive effect is similar to the well-being benefit associated with taking a walk in nature, said psychologist and study co-author Andrew Przybylski, PhD, of the University of Oxford, UK.

For the average country, individuals who had access to the internet reported on average approximately 8% greater life satisfaction, positive experiences, and social life satisfaction and 6% lower negative experiences than individuals who did not have access.

To download the full article, published in the American Psychology Association journal, Technology, Mind, and Behavior, click here