Do Dr. Google and Health Apps Have (Comparable) Side Effects? An Experimental Study
Open accessAbstract
Googling and using apps for health-related information are highly prevalent worldwide. So far, little is known about the emotional, body-related, and behavioral effects of using both Google and health-related apps. In our experimental study, bodily symptoms were first provoked by a standardized hyperventilation test. A total of 147 participants (96.6% students) were then randomly assigned to one of three conditions: Googling for the causes of the currently experienced bodily symptoms, using a medical app to diagnose the experienced symptoms, and a waiting control condition. Health-related Internet use for symptoms led to stronger negative affect, increased health anxiety, and increased need to consult a physician compared with the control condition. Googling and using the medical app showed comparable adverse emotional and behavioral effects. The findings are in line with current models of cyberchondria in which health-related Internet use represents an essential factor in maintaining and amplifying emotional distress.
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There is evidence of detrimental effects of health-related internet use, such as an increase in worries or health anxiety and an increase in the use of health care resources.
“However, there is also evidence of detrimental effects, such as an increase in worries or (health) anxiety, and as a consequence, an increase in the use of health care resources [11,12]”
From Conceptualizations of cyberchondria and relations to the anxiety spectrum: Systematic review and meta-analysis (2021) · cites this paper as [12]
The Conclusion (page not provided) reports increased health anxiety and a stronger need to see a doctor after health-related Internet use. But the Discussion (page not provided) says the study measured only the need to see a doctor, not whether participants actually consulted one. It therefore does not establish increased use of health care resources as a consequence of the anxiety. (LLM, conf=0.88)
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- Authors
- Jungmann, S. M., Brand, S., Kolb, J., & Witthöft, M.
- Affiliations
- Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (DE)
- Corresponding author
- Jungmann, Stefanie M.
- Venue
- Clinical Psychological Science
- Publisher
- SAGE Publications
- Published
- 2020-03
- Volume
- 8
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 306-317
- ISSN
- 2167-7026 (ISSN-L)
- 2167-7034
- OpenAlex
- W3009443450
- Cited by
- 47
- References
- 34
- Citations by year
- 2026: 3 · 2025: 6 · 2024: 8 · 2023: 4 · 2022: 8 · 2021: 16 · 2020: 2
- FWCI
- 7.83
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Locations
- Clinical Psychological Science (publishedVersion)
- OSF Preprints (OSF Preprints) (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Health Literacy and Information Accessibility
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Psychosomatic Disorders and Their Treatments
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Applied Psychology › Digital Mental Health Interventions
- Keywords
- cyberchondria, health-related internet use, symptom checking, mobile health apps, hyperventilation, somatic symptoms, health anxiety, negative affect, physician consultation, online health information seeking
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