Qingpeng Zhang of the University of Hong Kong and colleagues analyzed data from multiple countries and concluded that internet use is associated with higher mental well-being at age 50 and older. The analysis included more than 87,500 people of this age from six international cohorts, covering 23 high- and middle-income countries. Internet use ranged from 2.2 percent of participants (China) to 84.8 percent (Denmark). A total of nearly 300,000 observations were conducted over a median period of six years. The study results were published in the journal Nature Human Behavior.
After adjusting for demographics, socioeconomic status, lifestyle, and physical health, internet use was associated with lower levels of depression (AME = −0.09; 95 percent confidence interval = −0.012 to −0.07; I2 = 70.68 percent; H2 = 3.41), higher life satisfaction (AME = 0.07; 95 percent confidence interval = 0.05 to 0.10; I2 = 72.68 percent; H2 = 3.66), and better self-rated health (AME = 0.15; 95 percent confidence interval = 0.12 to 0.17; I2 = 73.53 percent; H2 = 3.78). In three countries—the UK, China, and the US—higher internet use was associated with better overall mental health.
