#digitalwellbeing — Public Fediverse posts
Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #digitalwellbeing, aggregated by home.social.
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RECAP/RECORDING - Chronically Online | A Workshop on Digital Fatigue & Burnout https://isoclive.substack.com/p/isocmumbai-digitalfatigue
Digital fatigue, doomscrolling, "fake rest" & what it means to pause and recharge — a workshop with Your Space.
#DigitalWellbeing #DigitalFatigue #Burnout #MentalHealth #isocmumbai
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RECAP/RECORDING - Chronically Online | A Workshop on Digital Fatigue & Burnout https://isoclive.substack.com/p/isocmumbai-digitalfatigue
Digital fatigue, doomscrolling, "fake rest" & what it means to pause and recharge — a workshop with Your Space.
#DigitalWellbeing #DigitalFatigue #Burnout #MentalHealth #isocmumbai
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RECAP/RECORDING - Chronically Online | A Workshop on Digital Fatigue & Burnout https://isoclive.substack.com/p/isocmumbai-digitalfatigue
Digital fatigue, doomscrolling, "fake rest" & what it means to pause and recharge — a workshop with Your Space.
#DigitalWellbeing #DigitalFatigue #Burnout #MentalHealth #isocmumbai
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RECAP/RECORDING - Chronically Online | A Workshop on Digital Fatigue & Burnout https://isoclive.substack.com/p/isocmumbai-digitalfatigue
Digital fatigue, doomscrolling, "fake rest" & what it means to pause and recharge — a workshop with Your Space.
#DigitalWellbeing #DigitalFatigue #Burnout #MentalHealth #isocmumbai
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RECAP/RECORDING - Chronically Online | A Workshop on Digital Fatigue & Burnout https://isoclive.substack.com/p/isocmumbai-digitalfatigue
Digital fatigue, doomscrolling, "fake rest" & what it means to pause and recharge — a workshop with Your Space.
#DigitalWellbeing #DigitalFatigue #Burnout #MentalHealth #isocmumbai
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One week after deleting my LLM accounts
I deleted my ChatGPT and Claude accounts last week. It’s vanishingly unlikely this will be a permanent state of affairs but I did think it was a useful exercise to prepare myself for a future of enshittified chatbots. These systems are going to get more expensive to use and less reliable in the short to medium term. Therefore I’d like to establish where they are actually adding value to my existence and where I have fallen into using them out of habit. A few observations after week one:
- There are interesting topics which occur to me that I default to exploring with a chatbot. In some cases I use other means to explore this but mostly I just let them drop. For example I found myself wondering yesterday about the economics of escape rooms which I think would have previously led to a half hour conversation with ChatGPT or Claude. The level of interest just isn’t high enough to lead me to explore this without immediate access to a chatbot to satisfy my curiosity.
- The first time I had a practical question I slipped into a conversation with Google Search before I realised “hey wait I’m supposed to not be doing this”. This illustrates how ubiquitous models have become in our digital lives. It also made me realise that I do think for many practical order questions it really is a more effective means of finding good enough answers than searching. I’m fairly certain ChatGPT could have told me how to turn off the faulty ‘replace filter’ light in my air filter in one shot, whereas I still haven’t got round to looking up the instruction book to get the manufacturer’s advice on troubleshooting.
- There was a health and fitness question I would have defaulted to discussing with a chatbot. In the absence of it I found myself thinking “hey wait I know this stuff” and actually thinking it through myself based on my existing knowledge. This was the only sign I saw this week of a kind of outsourcing that troubled me where defaulting to a chatbot was something I was deriving confidence from rather than using a purely neutral tool.
- There are practical machinic tasks which I’ve started to rely on them for. I thought I might re-organise my blog at some point before I restart work (as the kind of thing I’d intended to do for months but never got round to with usual routines). But then I remembered I don’t have a Claude account anymore. The WordPress MCP is so powerful I just couldn’t imagine doing this kind of tedious work directly any more even when the outcome matters to me.
- I feel notably less digitally distracted. I’m off work and not on e-mail so that’s almost certainly the major factor but I suspect this is a meaningful contributing factor nonetheless. I spend a lot of time each week reading text and writing text through interacting with chatbots so the intensivity and extent of my screentime is significantly reduced.
- I’m surprised how strong my instinct is to share this blog post with a chatbot while writing it. I suddenly realise how much I’d slipped into sharing pretty much everything I write with Claude Opus. Not because I want its input on the content but rather because it so reliably offers “here are some more things to think about on this theme”. I also don’t think I’d realised how frequently I was using it as a light touch copy editor. The stream of consciousness way in which I write blog posts feels ever so slightly exposing to me now in a way it didn’t.
My plan is to wait until August at least before setting up new accounts. Ideally I’ll hold off until the absence of models is materially impacting on my life in an obviously negative way. I suspect there’s some deeper psychological aspects to daily use of models which haven’t really shown up in my experience yet, which might after a few weeks or months.
#chatbots #digitalWellbeing #enshittfication -
One week after deleting my LLM accounts
I deleted my ChatGPT and Claude accounts last week. It’s vanishingly unlikely this will be a permanent state of affairs but I did think it was a useful exercise to prepare myself for a future of enshittified chatbots. These systems are going to get more expensive to use and less reliable in the short to medium term. Therefore I’d like to establish where they are actually adding value to my existence and where I have fallen into using them out of habit. A few observations after week one:
- There are interesting topics which occur to me that I default to exploring with a chatbot. In some cases I use other means to explore this but mostly I just let them drop. For example I found myself wondering yesterday about the economics of escape rooms which I think would have previously led to a half hour conversation with ChatGPT or Claude. The level of interest just isn’t high enough to lead me to explore this without immediate access to a chatbot to satisfy my curiosity.
- The first time I had a practical question I slipped into a conversation with Google Search before I realised “hey wait I’m supposed to not be doing this”. This illustrates how ubiquitous models have become in our digital lives. It also made me realise that I do think for many practical order questions it really is a more effective means of finding good enough answers than searching. I’m fairly certain ChatGPT could have told me how to turn off the faulty ‘replace filter’ light in my air filter in one shot, whereas I still haven’t got round to looking up the instruction book to get the manufacturer’s advice on troubleshooting.
- There was a health and fitness question I would have defaulted to discussing with a chatbot. In the absence of it I found myself thinking “hey wait I know this stuff” and actually thinking it through myself based on my existing knowledge. This was the only sign I saw this week of a kind of outsourcing that troubled me where defaulting to a chatbot was something I was deriving confidence from rather than using a purely neutral tool.
- There are practical machinic tasks which I’ve started to rely on them for. I thought I might re-organise my blog at some point before I restart work (as the kind of thing I’d intended to do for months but never got round to with usual routines). But then I remembered I don’t have a Claude account anymore. The WordPress MCP is so powerful I just couldn’t imagine doing this kind of tedious work directly any more even when the outcome matters to me.
- I feel notably less digitally distracted. I’m off work and not on e-mail so that’s almost certainly the major factor but I suspect this is a meaningful contributing factor nonetheless. I spend a lot of time each week reading text and writing text through interacting with chatbots so the intensivity and extent of my screentime is significantly reduced.
- I’m surprised how strong my instinct is to share this blog post with a chatbot while writing it. I suddenly realise how much I’d slipped into sharing pretty much everything I write with Claude Opus. Not because I want its input on the content but rather because it so reliably offers “here are some more things to think about on this theme”. I also don’t think I’d realised how frequently I was using it as a light touch copy editor. The stream of consciousness way in which I write blog posts feels ever so slightly exposing to me now in a way it didn’t.
My plan is to wait until August at least before setting up new accounts. Ideally I’ll hold off until the absence of models is materially impacting on my life in an obviously negative way. I suspect there’s some deeper psychological aspects to daily use of models which haven’t really shown up in my experience yet, which might after a few weeks or months.
#chatbots #digitalWellbeing #enshittfication -
One week after deleting my LLM accounts
I deleted my ChatGPT and Claude accounts last week. It’s vanishingly unlikely this will be a permanent state of affairs but I did think it was a useful exercise to prepare myself for a future of enshittified chatbots. These systems are going to get more expensive to use and less reliable in the short to medium term. Therefore I’d like to establish where they are actually adding value to my existence and where I have fallen into using them out of habit. A few observations after week one:
- There are interesting topics which occur to me that I default to exploring with a chatbot. In some cases I use other means to explore this but mostly I just let them drop. For example I found myself wondering yesterday about the economics of escape rooms which I think would have previously led to a half hour conversation with ChatGPT or Claude. The level of interest just isn’t high enough to lead me to explore this without immediate access to a chatbot to satisfy my curiosity.
- The first time I had a practical question I slipped into a conversation with Google Search before I realised “hey wait I’m supposed to not be doing this”. This illustrates how ubiquitous models have become in our digital lives. It also made me realise that I do think for many practical order questions it really is a more effective means of finding good enough answers than searching. I’m fairly certain ChatGPT could have told me how to turn off the faulty ‘replace filter’ light in my air filter in one shot, whereas I still haven’t got round to looking up the instruction book to get the manufacturer’s advice on troubleshooting.
- There was a health and fitness question I would have defaulted to discussing with a chatbot. In the absence of it I found myself thinking “hey wait I know this stuff” and actually thinking it through myself based on my existing knowledge. This was the only sign I saw this week of a kind of outsourcing that troubled me where defaulting to a chatbot was something I was deriving confidence from rather than using a purely neutral tool.
- There are practical machinic tasks which I’ve started to rely on them for. I thought I might re-organise my blog at some point before I restart work (as the kind of thing I’d intended to do for months but never got round to with usual routines). But then I remembered I don’t have a Claude account anymore. The WordPress MCP is so powerful I just couldn’t imagine doing this kind of tedious work directly any more even when the outcome matters to me.
- I feel notably less digitally distracted. I’m off work and not on e-mail so that’s almost certainly the major factor but I suspect this is a meaningful contributing factor nonetheless. I spend a lot of time each week reading text and writing text through interacting with chatbots so the intensivity and extent of my screentime is significantly reduced.
- I’m surprised how strong my instinct is to share this blog post with a chatbot while writing it. I suddenly realise how much I’d slipped into sharing pretty much everything I write with Claude Opus. Not because I want its input on the content but rather because it so reliably offers “here are some more things to think about on this theme”. I also don’t think I’d realised how frequently I was using it as a light touch copy editor. The stream of consciousness way in which I write blog posts feels ever so slightly exposing to me now in a way it didn’t.
My plan is to wait until August at least before setting up new accounts. Ideally I’ll hold off until the absence of models is materially impacting on my life in an obviously negative way. I suspect there’s some deeper psychological aspects to daily use of models which haven’t really shown up in my experience yet, which might after a few weeks or months.
#chatbots #digitalWellbeing #enshittfication -
Primo monitoraggio nazionale: cresce la dipendenza dai social tra i giovani. Dati allarmanti e strategie per prevenirla:
https://www.quotidianoweb.it/cultura-e-societa/dipendenza-da-social-lassociazione-nazionale-dalla-parte-del-consumatore-presenta-i-risultati-del-primo-monitoraggio-nazionale/ #quotidianoweb #DipendenzaDaSocial #SocialMedia #SaluteMentale #Giovani #Smartphone #DigitalWellbeing #Ansia #Prevenzione #Italia #News -
Primo monitoraggio nazionale: cresce la dipendenza dai social tra i giovani. Dati allarmanti e strategie per prevenirla:
https://www.quotidianoweb.it/cultura-e-societa/dipendenza-da-social-lassociazione-nazionale-dalla-parte-del-consumatore-presenta-i-risultati-del-primo-monitoraggio-nazionale/ #quotidianoweb #DipendenzaDaSocial #SocialMedia #SaluteMentale #Giovani #Smartphone #DigitalWellbeing #Ansia #Prevenzione #Italia #News -
Primo monitoraggio nazionale: cresce la dipendenza dai social tra i giovani. Dati allarmanti e strategie per prevenirla:
https://www.quotidianoweb.it/cultura-e-societa/dipendenza-da-social-lassociazione-nazionale-dalla-parte-del-consumatore-presenta-i-risultati-del-primo-monitoraggio-nazionale/ #quotidianoweb #DipendenzaDaSocial #SocialMedia #SaluteMentale #Giovani #Smartphone #DigitalWellbeing #Ansia #Prevenzione #Italia #News -
Primo monitoraggio nazionale: cresce la dipendenza dai social tra i giovani. Dati allarmanti e strategie per prevenirla:
https://www.quotidianoweb.it/cultura-e-societa/dipendenza-da-social-lassociazione-nazionale-dalla-parte-del-consumatore-presenta-i-risultati-del-primo-monitoraggio-nazionale/ #quotidianoweb #DipendenzaDaSocial #SocialMedia #SaluteMentale #Giovani #Smartphone #DigitalWellbeing #Ansia #Prevenzione #Italia #News -
Primo monitoraggio nazionale: cresce la dipendenza dai social tra i giovani. Dati allarmanti e strategie per prevenirla:
https://www.quotidianoweb.it/cultura-e-societa/dipendenza-da-social-lassociazione-nazionale-dalla-parte-del-consumatore-presenta-i-risultati-del-primo-monitoraggio-nazionale/ #quotidianoweb #DipendenzaDaSocial #SocialMedia #SaluteMentale #Giovani #Smartphone #DigitalWellbeing #Ansia #Prevenzione #Italia #News -
Oh joy, it's 2026 and the techno-saviors have decreed that swapping your phone's OS will magically thwart domestic abuse. 🙄 Because we all know the true villain in DV is clearly the operating system, not the abuser. 📱🔧
https://privacypros.com.au/privacy-hub/articles/dv-safe-phone-australia/ #domesticviolence #technologysolutions #victimblaming #digitalwellbeing #OSswapping #HackerNews #ngated -
Oh joy, it's 2026 and the techno-saviors have decreed that swapping your phone's OS will magically thwart domestic abuse. 🙄 Because we all know the true villain in DV is clearly the operating system, not the abuser. 📱🔧
https://privacypros.com.au/privacy-hub/articles/dv-safe-phone-australia/ #domesticviolence #technologysolutions #victimblaming #digitalwellbeing #OSswapping #HackerNews #ngated -
Oh joy, it's 2026 and the techno-saviors have decreed that swapping your phone's OS will magically thwart domestic abuse. 🙄 Because we all know the true villain in DV is clearly the operating system, not the abuser. 📱🔧
https://privacypros.com.au/privacy-hub/articles/dv-safe-phone-australia/ #domesticviolence #technologysolutions #victimblaming #digitalwellbeing #OSswapping #HackerNews #ngated -
Oh joy, it's 2026 and the techno-saviors have decreed that swapping your phone's OS will magically thwart domestic abuse. 🙄 Because we all know the true villain in DV is clearly the operating system, not the abuser. 📱🔧
https://privacypros.com.au/privacy-hub/articles/dv-safe-phone-australia/ #domesticviolence #technologysolutions #victimblaming #digitalwellbeing #OSswapping #HackerNews #ngated -
Oh joy, it's 2026 and the techno-saviors have decreed that swapping your phone's OS will magically thwart domestic abuse. 🙄 Because we all know the true villain in DV is clearly the operating system, not the abuser. 📱🔧
https://privacypros.com.au/privacy-hub/articles/dv-safe-phone-australia/ #domesticviolence #technologysolutions #victimblaming #digitalwellbeing #OSswapping #HackerNews #ngated -
AI focus tools are racing to optimize every minute. But you cannot fix an attention pattern you have never seen.
Gloria Mark’s research found people average 47 seconds on one screen before switching. Try RescueTime for a week: let it log your apps and sites, guess your biggest time sink, then check the report.
The catch: it sends activity data to its servers, and the report can become another dashboard to obsess over. New users get a two-week trial.
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Body doubling is moving beyond ADHD communities into remote-work culture, and Focusmate is a good example of why.
Book 25, 50, or 75 minutes, meet one person on camera, state your goals, then work in silence and check in at the end. No extra app; three sessions a week are free.
It’s a gentler model of digital wellbeing: support your attention instead of scolding you for losing it.
Would a quiet stranger help you start the task you keep avoiding?
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👋 Hi #a11y community! I built NoSuggest (https://nosuggest.com) — a free, open-source PWA that lets you watch YouTube without the algorithm. No recommendations, no Shorts, no autoplay, no sign-in. Just the channels you choose.
I built it because I was tired of opening YouTube for one video and losing an hour to the rabbit hole. Turns out a lot of people feel the same. 🙂
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👋 Hi #a11y community! I built NoSuggest (https://nosuggest.com) — a free, open-source PWA that lets you watch YouTube without the algorithm. No recommendations, no Shorts, no autoplay, no sign-in. Just the channels you choose.
I built it because I was tired of opening YouTube for one video and losing an hour to the rabbit hole. Turns out a lot of people feel the same. 🙂
-
👋 Hi #a11y community! I built NoSuggest (https://nosuggest.com) — a free, open-source PWA that lets you watch YouTube without the algorithm. No recommendations, no Shorts, no autoplay, no sign-in. Just the channels you choose.
I built it because I was tired of opening YouTube for one video and losing an hour to the rabbit hole. Turns out a lot of people feel the same. 🙂
-
👋 Hi #a11y community! I built NoSuggest (https://nosuggest.com) — a free, open-source PWA that lets you watch YouTube without the algorithm. No recommendations, no Shorts, no autoplay, no sign-in. Just the channels you choose.
I built it because I was tired of opening YouTube for one video and losing an hour to the rabbit hole. Turns out a lot of people feel the same. 🙂
-
👋 Hi #a11y community! I built NoSuggest (https://nosuggest.com) — a free, open-source PWA that lets you watch YouTube without the algorithm. No recommendations, no Shorts, no autoplay, no sign-in. Just the channels you choose.
I built it because I was tired of opening YouTube for one video and losing an hour to the rabbit hole. Turns out a lot of people feel the same. 🙂
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DATE: July 14, 2026 at 08:00AM
SOURCE: PSYPOST.ORG** Research quality varies widely from fantastic to small exploratory studies. Please check research methods when conclusions are very important to you. **
-------------------------------------------------TITLE: Narcissistic individuals are more prone to problematic use of generative AI
URL: https://www.psypost.org/narcissistic-individuals-are-more-prone-to-problematic-use-of-generative-ai/
A survey of generative artificial intelligence users found that people with pronounced narcissism are more prone to problematic use of generative artificial intelligence. In women, this association was fully mediated by vertical individualism, an orientation that emphasizes personal independence and autonomy alongside competition, achievement, status, and acceptance of inequality between individuals. In men, the association was partially mediated by vertical individualism and intolerance of uncertainty. The paper was published in BMC Psychology.
Problematic use of generative AI refers to a pattern of excessive, poorly controlled, or harmful engagement with generative artificial intelligence tools that causes significant difficulties in a person’s daily life. It may involve spending excessive amounts of time interacting with AI systems, repeatedly using them despite negative consequences, or feeling unable to reduce their use.
People with problematic generative AI use may become overly dependent on generative AI for work, studying, decision-making, creativity, social interaction, or emotional support. Such use can interfere with academic performance, occupational responsibilities, relationships, sleep, or other important activities. Some individuals may increasingly rely on AI to avoid difficult tasks, uncertainty, boredom, loneliness, or unpleasant emotions. Problematic use may also involve compulsive checking, repeated prompting, or persistent engagement that resembles other forms of problematic digital technology use.
Another concern is cognitive overreliance, in which users increasingly delegate thinking, writing, problem-solving, or judgment to AI systems and become less willing to perform these activities independently. Problematic use does not simply mean frequent use, because intensive AI use can be adaptive and productive when it remains controlled and does not cause impairment. The concept is still emerging, but the term is best used to describe AI use characterized by impaired control, functional impairment, psychological dependence, or continued engagement despite meaningful negative consequences.
Study author Kağan Kırcaburun, an assistant professor at Düzce University in Turkey, investigated the relationship between dark personality traits and problematic generative AI use. He was particularly interested in exploring the possible mediating roles of cultural orientations of individualism and intolerance of uncertainty in this relationship. He noted that previous studies already linked problematic technology use with dark personality traits, but that only one very recent study had specifically examined the relationship between those traits and problematic generative AI use.
He conducted an online survey via Prolific. Participants were 677 individuals who reported active use of generative artificial intelligence. Their average age was about 40 years, and 50% of them were men.
The survey contained assessments of problematic generative AI use (the Problematic GAI Use Scale, created by adapting items of a scale designed to measure the problematic use of conversational artificial intelligence), intolerance of uncertainty (the Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale), individualistic orientation (the Individualism and Collectivism Scale), and dark personality traits (the Dark Triad Dirty Dozen Scale and the Short Sadistic Impulses Scale).
Dark personality traits are socially aversive characteristics associated with self-interest, manipulation, emotional coldness, and disregard for others. There are four of them: Machiavellianism, narcissism, psychopathy, and sadism. Machiavellianism involves strategic manipulation, cynicism, and a willingness to exploit people to achieve personal goals. Narcissism is characterized by grandiosity, entitlement, a strong need for admiration, and sensitivity to threats to one’s self-image. Psychopathy involves callousness, low empathy, impulsivity, and limited remorse. Sadism makes a person prone to deriving pleasure or satisfaction from humiliating, hurting, or controlling others.
Results indicated that participants with more pronounced problematic use of generative AI tended to show somewhat higher narcissism, slightly higher Machiavellianism, and sadism. More pronounced problematic use of generative AI was also associated with higher intolerance for uncertainty and higher vertical individualism.
Intolerance of uncertainty is the tendency to find uncertain or unpredictable situations distressing and to react negatively to not knowing what may happen. Vertical individualism is a cultural orientation that values personal independence and competition while accepting inequality in status, achievement, and power.
Further analysis indicated that, among women, vertical individualism fully mediated the relationship between problematic generative AI use and narcissism. For men, vertical individualism and intolerance of uncertainty partially mediated the relationship. Study authors proposed that narcissism leads to more pronounced vertical individualism and that this pronounced vertical individualism makes an individual prone to problematic use of generative AI.
“Overall, the findings highlight the central role of individualistic value orientations and uncertainty-related processes in explaining how dark personality traits contribute to PGAIU [problematic use of generative AI],” the study author concluded.
The study contributes to the scientific understanding of problematic use of generative AI. However, it should be noted that the design of the study does not allow any causal inferences to be derived from the results. Additionally, all data were based on self-reports, leaving the possibility that reporting bias might have affected the results. Finally, because the average levels of problematic AI use in this sample were relatively low, the findings may reflect variations in general engagement rather than clinically significant problematic use.
The paper, “Dark Tetrad traits and problematic generative artificial intelligence use: the serial mediating role of individualism and intolerance of uncertainty,” was authored by Kağan Kırcaburun.
URL: https://www.psypost.org/narcissistic-individuals-are-more-prone-to-problematic-use-of-generative-ai/
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Private, vetted email list for mental health professionals: https://www.clinicians-exchange.org
Unofficial Psychology Today Xitter to toot feed at Psych Today Unofficial Bot @PTUnofficialBot
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#psychology #counseling #socialwork #psychotherapy @psychotherapist @psychotherapists @psychology @socialpsych @socialwork @psychiatry #mentalhealth #psychiatry #healthcare #depression #psychotherapist #Narcissism #GenerativeAI #ProblematicAIUse #DarkTetrad #VerticalIndividualism #IntoleranceOfUncertainty #AIInfluence #DigitalWellbeing #AIandPsychology #MentalHealthTech
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DATE: July 14, 2026 at 08:00AM
SOURCE: PSYPOST.ORG** Research quality varies widely from fantastic to small exploratory studies. Please check research methods when conclusions are very important to you. **
-------------------------------------------------TITLE: Narcissistic individuals are more prone to problematic use of generative AI
URL: https://www.psypost.org/narcissistic-individuals-are-more-prone-to-problematic-use-of-generative-ai/
A survey of generative artificial intelligence users found that people with pronounced narcissism are more prone to problematic use of generative artificial intelligence. In women, this association was fully mediated by vertical individualism, an orientation that emphasizes personal independence and autonomy alongside competition, achievement, status, and acceptance of inequality between individuals. In men, the association was partially mediated by vertical individualism and intolerance of uncertainty. The paper was published in BMC Psychology.
Problematic use of generative AI refers to a pattern of excessive, poorly controlled, or harmful engagement with generative artificial intelligence tools that causes significant difficulties in a person’s daily life. It may involve spending excessive amounts of time interacting with AI systems, repeatedly using them despite negative consequences, or feeling unable to reduce their use.
People with problematic generative AI use may become overly dependent on generative AI for work, studying, decision-making, creativity, social interaction, or emotional support. Such use can interfere with academic performance, occupational responsibilities, relationships, sleep, or other important activities. Some individuals may increasingly rely on AI to avoid difficult tasks, uncertainty, boredom, loneliness, or unpleasant emotions. Problematic use may also involve compulsive checking, repeated prompting, or persistent engagement that resembles other forms of problematic digital technology use.
Another concern is cognitive overreliance, in which users increasingly delegate thinking, writing, problem-solving, or judgment to AI systems and become less willing to perform these activities independently. Problematic use does not simply mean frequent use, because intensive AI use can be adaptive and productive when it remains controlled and does not cause impairment. The concept is still emerging, but the term is best used to describe AI use characterized by impaired control, functional impairment, psychological dependence, or continued engagement despite meaningful negative consequences.
Study author Kağan Kırcaburun, an assistant professor at Düzce University in Turkey, investigated the relationship between dark personality traits and problematic generative AI use. He was particularly interested in exploring the possible mediating roles of cultural orientations of individualism and intolerance of uncertainty in this relationship. He noted that previous studies already linked problematic technology use with dark personality traits, but that only one very recent study had specifically examined the relationship between those traits and problematic generative AI use.
He conducted an online survey via Prolific. Participants were 677 individuals who reported active use of generative artificial intelligence. Their average age was about 40 years, and 50% of them were men.
The survey contained assessments of problematic generative AI use (the Problematic GAI Use Scale, created by adapting items of a scale designed to measure the problematic use of conversational artificial intelligence), intolerance of uncertainty (the Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale), individualistic orientation (the Individualism and Collectivism Scale), and dark personality traits (the Dark Triad Dirty Dozen Scale and the Short Sadistic Impulses Scale).
Dark personality traits are socially aversive characteristics associated with self-interest, manipulation, emotional coldness, and disregard for others. There are four of them: Machiavellianism, narcissism, psychopathy, and sadism. Machiavellianism involves strategic manipulation, cynicism, and a willingness to exploit people to achieve personal goals. Narcissism is characterized by grandiosity, entitlement, a strong need for admiration, and sensitivity to threats to one’s self-image. Psychopathy involves callousness, low empathy, impulsivity, and limited remorse. Sadism makes a person prone to deriving pleasure or satisfaction from humiliating, hurting, or controlling others.
Results indicated that participants with more pronounced problematic use of generative AI tended to show somewhat higher narcissism, slightly higher Machiavellianism, and sadism. More pronounced problematic use of generative AI was also associated with higher intolerance for uncertainty and higher vertical individualism.
Intolerance of uncertainty is the tendency to find uncertain or unpredictable situations distressing and to react negatively to not knowing what may happen. Vertical individualism is a cultural orientation that values personal independence and competition while accepting inequality in status, achievement, and power.
Further analysis indicated that, among women, vertical individualism fully mediated the relationship between problematic generative AI use and narcissism. For men, vertical individualism and intolerance of uncertainty partially mediated the relationship. Study authors proposed that narcissism leads to more pronounced vertical individualism and that this pronounced vertical individualism makes an individual prone to problematic use of generative AI.
“Overall, the findings highlight the central role of individualistic value orientations and uncertainty-related processes in explaining how dark personality traits contribute to PGAIU [problematic use of generative AI],” the study author concluded.
The study contributes to the scientific understanding of problematic use of generative AI. However, it should be noted that the design of the study does not allow any causal inferences to be derived from the results. Additionally, all data were based on self-reports, leaving the possibility that reporting bias might have affected the results. Finally, because the average levels of problematic AI use in this sample were relatively low, the findings may reflect variations in general engagement rather than clinically significant problematic use.
The paper, “Dark Tetrad traits and problematic generative artificial intelligence use: the serial mediating role of individualism and intolerance of uncertainty,” was authored by Kağan Kırcaburun.
URL: https://www.psypost.org/narcissistic-individuals-are-more-prone-to-problematic-use-of-generative-ai/
-------------------------------------------------
Private, vetted email list for mental health professionals: https://www.clinicians-exchange.org
Unofficial Psychology Today Xitter to toot feed at Psych Today Unofficial Bot @PTUnofficialBot
-------------------------------------------------
#psychology #counseling #socialwork #psychotherapy @psychotherapist @psychotherapists @psychology @socialpsych @socialwork @psychiatry #mentalhealth #psychiatry #healthcare #depression #psychotherapist #Narcissism #GenerativeAI #ProblematicAIUse #DarkTetrad #VerticalIndividualism #IntoleranceOfUncertainty #AIInfluence #DigitalWellbeing #AIandPsychology #MentalHealthTech
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DATE: July 14, 2026 at 08:00AM
SOURCE: PSYPOST.ORG** Research quality varies widely from fantastic to small exploratory studies. Please check research methods when conclusions are very important to you. **
-------------------------------------------------TITLE: Narcissistic individuals are more prone to problematic use of generative AI
URL: https://www.psypost.org/narcissistic-individuals-are-more-prone-to-problematic-use-of-generative-ai/
A survey of generative artificial intelligence users found that people with pronounced narcissism are more prone to problematic use of generative artificial intelligence. In women, this association was fully mediated by vertical individualism, an orientation that emphasizes personal independence and autonomy alongside competition, achievement, status, and acceptance of inequality between individuals. In men, the association was partially mediated by vertical individualism and intolerance of uncertainty. The paper was published in BMC Psychology.
Problematic use of generative AI refers to a pattern of excessive, poorly controlled, or harmful engagement with generative artificial intelligence tools that causes significant difficulties in a person’s daily life. It may involve spending excessive amounts of time interacting with AI systems, repeatedly using them despite negative consequences, or feeling unable to reduce their use.
People with problematic generative AI use may become overly dependent on generative AI for work, studying, decision-making, creativity, social interaction, or emotional support. Such use can interfere with academic performance, occupational responsibilities, relationships, sleep, or other important activities. Some individuals may increasingly rely on AI to avoid difficult tasks, uncertainty, boredom, loneliness, or unpleasant emotions. Problematic use may also involve compulsive checking, repeated prompting, or persistent engagement that resembles other forms of problematic digital technology use.
Another concern is cognitive overreliance, in which users increasingly delegate thinking, writing, problem-solving, or judgment to AI systems and become less willing to perform these activities independently. Problematic use does not simply mean frequent use, because intensive AI use can be adaptive and productive when it remains controlled and does not cause impairment. The concept is still emerging, but the term is best used to describe AI use characterized by impaired control, functional impairment, psychological dependence, or continued engagement despite meaningful negative consequences.
Study author Kağan Kırcaburun, an assistant professor at Düzce University in Turkey, investigated the relationship between dark personality traits and problematic generative AI use. He was particularly interested in exploring the possible mediating roles of cultural orientations of individualism and intolerance of uncertainty in this relationship. He noted that previous studies already linked problematic technology use with dark personality traits, but that only one very recent study had specifically examined the relationship between those traits and problematic generative AI use.
He conducted an online survey via Prolific. Participants were 677 individuals who reported active use of generative artificial intelligence. Their average age was about 40 years, and 50% of them were men.
The survey contained assessments of problematic generative AI use (the Problematic GAI Use Scale, created by adapting items of a scale designed to measure the problematic use of conversational artificial intelligence), intolerance of uncertainty (the Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale), individualistic orientation (the Individualism and Collectivism Scale), and dark personality traits (the Dark Triad Dirty Dozen Scale and the Short Sadistic Impulses Scale).
Dark personality traits are socially aversive characteristics associated with self-interest, manipulation, emotional coldness, and disregard for others. There are four of them: Machiavellianism, narcissism, psychopathy, and sadism. Machiavellianism involves strategic manipulation, cynicism, and a willingness to exploit people to achieve personal goals. Narcissism is characterized by grandiosity, entitlement, a strong need for admiration, and sensitivity to threats to one’s self-image. Psychopathy involves callousness, low empathy, impulsivity, and limited remorse. Sadism makes a person prone to deriving pleasure or satisfaction from humiliating, hurting, or controlling others.
Results indicated that participants with more pronounced problematic use of generative AI tended to show somewhat higher narcissism, slightly higher Machiavellianism, and sadism. More pronounced problematic use of generative AI was also associated with higher intolerance for uncertainty and higher vertical individualism.
Intolerance of uncertainty is the tendency to find uncertain or unpredictable situations distressing and to react negatively to not knowing what may happen. Vertical individualism is a cultural orientation that values personal independence and competition while accepting inequality in status, achievement, and power.
Further analysis indicated that, among women, vertical individualism fully mediated the relationship between problematic generative AI use and narcissism. For men, vertical individualism and intolerance of uncertainty partially mediated the relationship. Study authors proposed that narcissism leads to more pronounced vertical individualism and that this pronounced vertical individualism makes an individual prone to problematic use of generative AI.
“Overall, the findings highlight the central role of individualistic value orientations and uncertainty-related processes in explaining how dark personality traits contribute to PGAIU [problematic use of generative AI],” the study author concluded.
The study contributes to the scientific understanding of problematic use of generative AI. However, it should be noted that the design of the study does not allow any causal inferences to be derived from the results. Additionally, all data were based on self-reports, leaving the possibility that reporting bias might have affected the results. Finally, because the average levels of problematic AI use in this sample were relatively low, the findings may reflect variations in general engagement rather than clinically significant problematic use.
The paper, “Dark Tetrad traits and problematic generative artificial intelligence use: the serial mediating role of individualism and intolerance of uncertainty,” was authored by Kağan Kırcaburun.
URL: https://www.psypost.org/narcissistic-individuals-are-more-prone-to-problematic-use-of-generative-ai/
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#psychology #counseling #socialwork #psychotherapy @psychotherapist @psychotherapists @psychology @socialpsych @socialwork @psychiatry #mentalhealth #psychiatry #healthcare #depression #psychotherapist #Narcissism #GenerativeAI #ProblematicAIUse #DarkTetrad #VerticalIndividualism #IntoleranceOfUncertainty #AIInfluence #DigitalWellbeing #AIandPsychology #MentalHealthTech
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