6 Symptoms or Tell Tale Signs of Facebook Addiction | Bergen Facebook Addiction Scale

Video game addiction is here (in this world) for some time now. But Facebook Addiction is just raising its head.

With social networks becoming an integral part of the people, primly the Facebook, scientists are claiming that many Facebook users have already reached a stage wherein it can be said that they are addicted to Facebook.

Are you a social media enthusiast or simply a Facebook addict?


How will you know?


Researchers from Norway have developed a new instrument to measure Facebook addiction, the Bergen Facebook Addiction Scale.

Why the Need of Bergen Facebook Addiction Scale?


According to Doctor of Psychology Cecilie Schou Andreassen, who heads the research project «Facebook Addiction» at the University of Bergen (UiB), who headed one of its kind study in the world and who is instrumental in creating the scale, the psychologists are dealing with a subdivision of Internet addiction connected to social media. Hence the scale.

Why People develop Facebook dependency?


According to Dr. Andreassen, just like any other addiction, there are some clear views as to why some people develop Facebook dependency. Here are they:

– It occurs more regularly among younger than older users. We have also found that people who are anxious and socially insecure use Facebook more than those with lower scores on those traits, probably because those who are anxious find it easier to communicate via social media than face-to-face.

People who are organised and more ambitious tend to be less at risk from Facebook addiction. They will often use social media as an integral part of work and networking.

– Women are more at risk of developing Facebook addiction, probably due to the social nature of Facebook. The research also shows that Facebook addiction was related to extraversion. People with high scores on the new scale further tend to have a somewhat delayed sleep-wake rhythm.

6 Symptoms or Tell Tale Signs of Facebook Addiction


Although the researchers called these signs, the ‘Six warning signs’, we chose to express them with less urgency.

According to researchers, as Facebook is becoming more and more ubiquitous as television in our everyday lives, hence it is becoming increasingly difficult for many people to know if they are addicted to social media. The latest study underlines that the symptoms of Facebook addiction resemble those of drug addiction, alcohol addiction, and chemical substance addiction, and hence need to be addressed before the addiction becomes too rigid to shed off.

The Bergen Facebook Addiction Scale is based on six basic criteria, where all items are scored on the following scale: (1) Very rarely, (2) Rarely, (3) Sometimes, (4) Often, and (5) Very often.

To know whether a person is addicted to Facebook or not, he/she is made to answer these 6 Symptoms or Tell Tale Signs of Facebook Addiction, according to the above six basic crierias:

1) You spend a lot of time thinking about Facebook or plan use of Facebook.
2) You feel an urge to use Facebook more and more.
3) You use Facebook in order to forget about personal problems.
4) You have tried to cut down on the use of Facebook without success.
5) You become restless or troubled if you are prohibited from using Facebook.
6) You use Facebook so much that it has had a negative impact on your job/studies.

Andreassen’s study shows that scoring of “often” or “very often” on at least four of the six items may suggest that you are addicted to Facebook.

How the Bergen Facebook Addiction Scale is created:


In January 2011, 423 students – 227 women and 196 men – participated in tests for the Bergen Facebook Addiction Scale.

The primary aim of the scale is to facilitate treatment research, clinical assessment and can be used for the estimation of Facebook addiction prevalence in the general population worldwide.

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