**1. Introduction**

Internet has fast developed over these 2 decades and is widely used worldwide. The population of Internet users has reached 3.8 billion in 2017 [1], and the Internet is now an integral

© 2016 The Author(s). Licensee InTech. This chapter is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. © 2018 The Author(s). Licensee IntechOpen. This chapter is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

part of life. In UK, USA, South Korea, and Taiwan, the Internet users are over 80% of the population [2], and in Asia, the Internet users of the world total are 49.7% [1]. Some users, however, excessively use, rely on, and even addict to the Internet, and suffer from negative consequences on physical and mental functions, social and occupational problems [2, 3]. Such excessive Internet use is called Internet addiction (IA). IA, first proposed in 1995 by Goldberg, was regarded as a behavioral addiction, and the widely used definitions of IA include preoccupation with online activities, withdrawal, craving, tolerance, mood modification, conflict, relapse, and negative consequences [2, 4, 5]. If users used computer or the Internet over 10 h/ day and 6 days/week [6], they have difficulty in finance and in family relationship, poor performance of school or work, etc. [2, 3]. Such users might be potential IA abusers. The definitions of IA given by several researchers are listed in **Table 1**.

Asian countries have higher prevalence rate (e.g., Hong Kong 17–26.8%, Taiwan approximately 20%) [15, 16]. Young reported five types of IA, namely cybersexual addiction, cyber-relationship addiction, net compulsions, information overload, and obsessive computer game playing [17]. The population of computer game players has over one billion in 2012 [18], and the situation that people addicted to the Internet game is called Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD) [19]. IGD is a large population of Internet addicts, and the related research results were the most reported. The fifth version of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders (DSM-5) suggested that IGD/IA should be further studied and more related data must be acquired [13, 20]. DSM-5 addresses and suggests nine criteria for IGD in 2013 [21], including preoccupation, withdrawal, tolerance, reduce/stop, give up other activities, continue despite problems, deceive/cover up, escape adverse moods, and risk/lose relationship/opportunities. The psychological syndromes of IA usually are assessed by IA scales [3, 4, 9]. However, self-reporting is a subjective measurement tool that may be biased, even unintentionally, by a reporter's feelings or forgotten details. Furthermore, scales or questionnaires assess the long-term developed states of IA rather than the developing states of IA or short-term change. Nevertheless, the physiological signals of people with IA can provide objective and short-term information on the condition. In recent years, although a few physiological features of IA were studied [22], the psychological and physiological features rarely investigated together, and the regulation of physiological reactions was little discussed. Both the features can be acquired through emotions, and the physiological regulation can be observed using noninvasive physiological signals. Furthermore, noninvasive physiologi-

Investigation of Emotion Characters of Internet Abusers Using Psychophysiological Signals

http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.73692

105

cal signals can provide short-term, dynamic changes of IA, and is a biofeedback means.

The behavior, psychological characters, and physiological features of IA abusers were reported, such as mood-altering use of the Internet, guilt, emotional, and social withdrawal from real relationship, craving, and fatigue, and users are vulnerable to disease [3, 23–27]. In clinical contexts, IA has been associated with mental disorders, such as substance use disorder [28] and depressive disorder [29]. IA abusers experienced positive feelings (e.g., pleasure, gratifying sensations, security, calm, and belonging) or negative feelings (e.g., frustrate and lonely) when they are able or unable to use the Internet [2, 3], and they express emotional withdrawal symptoms when offline, such as anxiety and depression [5]. The perceived ben-

Emotion was one important character of IA and IGD. For example, users feel pleasure [23], control, and excitement when online, but feel anxiety and alone when offline [3], and shift emotional states through the Internet or online activities [5]. Emotion can be used to assess pathological Internet use [3]. The relationships among showing emotion, verbal expression of emotions, controlling negative physical reactions, coping, and anger management were examined, and emotion management skill was significant for IA levels. IA abusers exhibited bad emotion management skills [31]. IA and emotional intelligence tests was negatively correlated [32, 33]. Excessive Internet users expressed poorer intimacy, and had worse ability to express positive and negative emotions [34]. The withdrawal symptoms of Internet gaming

**1.1. Psychological and physiological syndrome, emotion character of Internet** 

efits keep people coming back to the addictive experience [30].

**addiction abusers**

The prevalence rate of IA investigated by several countries, such as Norway 0.7%, the US 1%, Europe 1.0–9.0%, and Asia 2.0–18.0%. The rate varied from different countries (0.7–26.8%) [2].


**Table 1.** Definitions of IA in literatures.

Asian countries have higher prevalence rate (e.g., Hong Kong 17–26.8%, Taiwan approximately 20%) [15, 16]. Young reported five types of IA, namely cybersexual addiction, cyber-relationship addiction, net compulsions, information overload, and obsessive computer game playing [17]. The population of computer game players has over one billion in 2012 [18], and the situation that people addicted to the Internet game is called Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD) [19]. IGD is a large population of Internet addicts, and the related research results were the most reported.

part of life. In UK, USA, South Korea, and Taiwan, the Internet users are over 80% of the population [2], and in Asia, the Internet users of the world total are 49.7% [1]. Some users, however, excessively use, rely on, and even addict to the Internet, and suffer from negative consequences on physical and mental functions, social and occupational problems [2, 3]. Such excessive Internet use is called Internet addiction (IA). IA, first proposed in 1995 by Goldberg, was regarded as a behavioral addiction, and the widely used definitions of IA include preoccupation with online activities, withdrawal, craving, tolerance, mood modification, conflict, relapse, and negative consequences [2, 4, 5]. If users used computer or the Internet over 10 h/ day and 6 days/week [6], they have difficulty in finance and in family relationship, poor performance of school or work, etc. [2, 3]. Such users might be potential IA abusers. The defini-

The prevalence rate of IA investigated by several countries, such as Norway 0.7%, the US 1%, Europe 1.0–9.0%, and Asia 2.0–18.0%. The rate varied from different countries (0.7–26.8%) [2].

2) Proposed two definitions: first definition: behavioral addiction, second definition: Internet-

Goldberg [7] A mal-adaptive pattern of Internet use, leading to clinically significant impairment or

4) Continued use despite problems caused by the behavior. Leung [11] Internet addiction has been used to describe problematic, excessive, or mal-adaptive use of

2) Causes distress or impairs one's functioning in important life domains.

tions of IA given by several researchers are listed in **Table 1**.

Young [8] 1) Reported the very first case of Internet addiction,

3) A preoccupation with use,

2) Defined addictive use of the Internet.

2) Often accompanied by a loss of control,

**Authors and Years Proposed definition**

104 Drug Addiction

distress.

Young [10] 1) An uncontrollable urge,

Shaw and Black [12] 1) Time consuming,

Block [13] 1) Excessive Internet use,

Spada [2] An addictive behavior

Brand et al. [14] 1) Internet use disorder,

**Table 1.** Definitions of IA in literatures.

Young [9] 1) Proposed the Internet Addiction Scale,

related disorders.

the Internet.

2) Withdrawal, 3) Tolerance,

4) Adverse consequences.

An impulse-control disorder

2) Specific Internet-use disorders

The fifth version of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders (DSM-5) suggested that IGD/IA should be further studied and more related data must be acquired [13, 20]. DSM-5 addresses and suggests nine criteria for IGD in 2013 [21], including preoccupation, withdrawal, tolerance, reduce/stop, give up other activities, continue despite problems, deceive/cover up, escape adverse moods, and risk/lose relationship/opportunities. The psychological syndromes of IA usually are assessed by IA scales [3, 4, 9]. However, self-reporting is a subjective measurement tool that may be biased, even unintentionally, by a reporter's feelings or forgotten details. Furthermore, scales or questionnaires assess the long-term developed states of IA rather than the developing states of IA or short-term change. Nevertheless, the physiological signals of people with IA can provide objective and short-term information on the condition. In recent years, although a few physiological features of IA were studied [22], the psychological and physiological features rarely investigated together, and the regulation of physiological reactions was little discussed. Both the features can be acquired through emotions, and the physiological regulation can be observed using noninvasive physiological signals. Furthermore, noninvasive physiological signals can provide short-term, dynamic changes of IA, and is a biofeedback means.
