Facebook and Twitter More Addictive than Alcohol and Cigarettes:Study

A study by Chicago University's Booth Business School has confirmed what most of us already knew - checking email or social network updates could be more addictive then cigarettes or alcohol. The results will be published in the journal Psychological Science.

While sleep and sex might be stronger urges, people are more likely to give in to social media longings. "Desires for media may be comparatively harder to resist because of their high availability and also because it feels like it does not 'cost much' to engage in these activities, even though one wants to resist" said team leader Wilhelm Hofmann speaking to the Guardian.

205 people in the age group 18-85 took part in the experiment. The subjects were 'sent out into the wild' in and around the German city of Würtzburg to measure their responses. The subjects received messages on their Blackberrys from the researchers asking them to message back their 'desire episodes' and cravings.