Why silver surfers are less lonely and happier with life

IN a time of fears about screen addiction it seems unlikely advice.

But, for the over-50s at least, using the internet every day can lead to higher rates of life satisfaction.

Emails to family and friends, Facebook updates and other communications appear particularly beneficial, a study suggests.

The researchers believe silver surfers may feel less lonely and isolated if they have a network of online contacts.

They say more should be done to encourage the older generations online, with user-friendly web pages or larger text.

The study by University College London involved more than 9,000 people who were asked if they used the internet daily, weekly, once a month or less, or never. Their levels of depression and satisfaction in life were judged using questionnaires over a period of up to four years.

Adults who used the internet the most saw the biggest rise in their life satisfaction. Those who used it for communication also showed fewer signs of depression.

Dr Stephen Jivraj, senior author of the study, said: ‘Our findings suggest older people who engage with social media or communicate online have better mental health. It may be that older people who cannot communicate with children and grandchildren, because they live far away, can benefit from speaking to them remotely.’

A quarter of the 9,169 subjects did not use the internet – their average age being 75, much higher than that for the experimental group as a whole. Researchers assessed mental health by posing statements such as ‘So far I have got the important things I want in life’.

They were given a depression score based on whether they had experienced any of eight symptoms in the past week, including sadness and loneliness.

Daily internet users saw better life satisfaction – but not reduced depression – compared with those who used the internet monthly or less often. However both depression and life satisfaction improved in those who used the internet for communication.

Conversely, life satisfaction fell when internet use focused on seeking information, according to the study published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research.

Dr Jivraj concluded: ‘More should be done, such as library classes for silver surfers, to help older people use the internet if they would like to.’