Internet Use and Happiness: A Longitudinal Analysis

This is an extension of a previous study, which explored the relationship between happiness and Internet use [1]. An Internet Use Scale (IUS), developed in the previous study, was administered to college students along with the Flourishing Scale [2] and the Satisfaction with Life Scale [3]; and three new open-ended questions. We compared changes in the relationship between these measures, and their mean values, across the two samples, and carried out qualitative analyses of the open-ended questions. Results indicated that those who reported spending less time on the internet, less time expressing emotions, and more time checking facts, scored higher on measures of happiness. Further, participants found negative affective expression on the Internet particularly aversive. Finally, those with lower happiness scores were more likely to report playing on-line games; and those with higher happiness scores were more likely to identify Internet disinformation as aversive.