Okay, I have to admit that I check email quite a number of times when on the computer. Do a little work here, check email there. More work, more email. And maybe I throw in a Google search (or two or three) for good measure. Searching work-related topics? Sometimes, sometimes not. I also must admit that there is a bit of a buzz (the brain chemicals that kick in whenever I anticipate a future pleasure) when I do these things. Brain scientists say that our brain releases more pleasure chemicals when we anticipate something positive than when the positive event actually occurs. Think upcoming holidays, vacations, a package in the mail, ordering something online – well, you get the picture.

So what does this have to do with email and Internet searches? Imagine my surprise when I found this article in Newsweek (July 16, 2012): Tweets, Texts, Emails, Posts: Is the Web Driving Us Mad? 

While I can honestly say I'm not as "wired" as many people are these days, I certainly feel the lack when I don't have my computer or iPad handy (I don't, as yet, have a smart phone, but am thinking about getting one because most of my friends seldom use email anymore; instead, they text). So the Newsweek article made me pause and think about my Internet use. No, I haven't changed much yet, but I'm more aware of the large chunks of time I consume meandering all over the cyber world. And I'm more convinced now that the Internet has the possibility of being as addictive as television or physical substances, or certain behaviors (like shopping). 

So I leave you with this thought from the last paragraph of the article: "All of us, since the relationship with the Internet began, have tended to accept it as is, without much conscious thought about how we want it to be or what we want to avoid. Those days of complacency should end. The Internet is still ours to shape. Our minds are in the balance."  Cheers! Sharon