你每天看多少次手機？你是不是不斷地在看自己在各種社交網站上的賬戶？研究顯示這種行為可能會給我們的心理健康帶來負面影響。本期內容探討網絡可能導致人們抑郁的原因。

課文內容

詞匯:  depression 憂郁，抑郁

Are you a social media addict ? Are you always checking your smartphone to see how many 'likes' you've received for your latest post? Maybe you feel comforted by the notification sound that someone has sent you a message?

Don't worry, you're not alone. We check our phones an average of 150 times a day, and around 30% of the total time spent online is dedicated to social media. Some experts now fear this habit could be damaging our mental health.

This is something particularly afflicting young adults, according to a study from the University of Pittsburgh. It found the more they used social media, the more likely they are to be depressed. In tests, those people who checked social media frequently were 2.7 times more likely to be depressed compared to those who spent most of their time generally surfing the internet, who had just 1.7 times the risk. The study found that exposure to “highly idealised representations of peers on social media elicits feelings of envy and the distorted belief that others lead happier, more successful lives.”

Some of us certainly feel sad when we're ignored on social media sites, or when we see someone else having a better time than us. But depression is a more serious condition and clinical psychologist, Abigael San, recently told the BBC that, "It’s a real issue, and it’s been getting significantly worse over the last 5-6 years. You can get so hooked that it takes you away from your real relationships." However, Abigael does admit that social media is more likely to exacerbate pre-existing issues than directly cause them.

Other research by Glasgow University found that teenagers are affected by the 24-hour demands of their social media accounts. It found that those with higher levels of emotional investment in social media, and who use it at night, were more likely to feel depressed and anxious.

Despite these warning signs, why do some of us continue to keep clicking? Well, I suppose we all want to be liked and we don't want to miss out on a conversation that's taking place online. But we need to know when to switch off our virtual online world and connect with the real world instead.  

詞匯表

addict 有癮的人
comforted 得到安慰的
dedicated 專用（于）
mental health 心理健康
afflicting 使…受苦的、苦惱的
exposure 接觸
idealised 理想化的
elicit 誘出，引出
envy 羨慕，嫉妒
condition 疾病
hooked 上癮的，入迷的
exacerbate 使惡化
pre-existing 先已存在的，既往（病史）
emotional investment 情感投入
anxious 焦慮的
virtual online world 虛擬的網絡世界

測驗與練習

1. 閱讀課文并回答問題。

1. Is this true or false? Young people spend on average 150 days a year looking at social media.
2. What phrase did the study use to mean that we think other people are leading happier lives when in reality, they are not?
3. According to research by Glasgow University, using social media at what time of day makes teenagers even more depressed?
4. How often do teenagers feel the need to be look at social media?
5. What word used in the article means 'people of the same age as you or same social position'?

2. 請你在不參考課文的情況下完成下列練習。選擇一個意思合適的單詞填入句子的空格處。

1. I'm a bit of a coffee ________; I have to have three cups every morning!

adder     addicted     addict     addiction

2. I _________ her piano playing skills. I have had three years of lessons and still can't play a tune.

afflict     envy     idealise     elicit 

3. The closure of the factory just _________ the problem of youth unemployment in the area.

exposed     comforted     elicited     exacerbated 

4. She looked a bit _________ as she entered the room to take her English exam.

anxious     anxiously     anxioused     anxiosh 

5. He has an ________ view of the perfect woman, but to be honest, he's not going to ever meet her!

afflicted     idealised     anxious     virtual

答案

1. 閱讀課文并回答問題。

1. Is this true or false? Young people spend on average 150 days a year looking at social media.
False. The report said "w e check our phones an average of 150 times a day."
 
2. What phrase did the study use to mean that we think other people are leading happier lives when in reality, they are not?
The distorted belief.
 
3. According to research by Glasgow University, using social media at what time of day makes teenagers even more depressed?
Using it at night.
 
4. How often do teenagers feel the need to look at social media?
24 hours a day.
 
5. What word used in the article means 'people of the same age as you or same social position'?
Peers.  

2. 請你在不參考課文的情況下完成下列練習。從每個表格中選擇一個意思合適的單詞填入句子的空格處。

1. I'm a bit of a coffee addict; I have to have three cups every morning!

2. I envy her piano playing skills. I have had three years of lessons and still can't play a tune.

3. The closure of the factory just exacerbated the problem of youth unemployment in the area.

4. She looked a bit anxious as she entered the room to take her English exam.

5. He has an idealised view of the perfect woman, but to be honest, he's not going to ever meet her!