Excessive social media users demonstrate impaired decision making in the Iowa Gambling Task
Open accessAbstract
Background and aims: Online social networking sites (SNSs) like Facebook provide users with myriad social rewards. These social rewards bring users back to SNSs repeatedly, with some users displaying maladaptive, excessive SNS use. Symptoms of this excessive SNS use are similar to symptoms of substance use and behavioral addictive disorders. Importantly, individuals with substance use and behavioral addictive disorders have difficulty making value-based decisions, as demonstrated with paradigms like the Iowa Gambling Task (IGT); however, it is currently unknown if excessive SNS users display the same decision-making deficits. Therefore, in this study, we aimed to investigate the relationship between excessive SNS use and IGT performance. Methods: We administered the Bergen Facebook Addiction Scale (BFAS) to 71 participants to assess their maladaptive use of the Facebook SNS. We next had them perform 100 trials of the IGT to assess their value-based decision making. Results: We found a negative correlation between BFAS score and performance in the IGT across participants, specifically over the last block of 20 trials. There were no correlations between BFAS score and IGT performance in earlier blocks of trials. Discussion: Our results demonstrate that more severe, excessive SNS use is associated with more deficient value-based decision making. In particular, our results indicate that excessive SNS users may make more risky decisions during the IGT task. Conclusion: This result further supports a parallel between individuals with problematic, excessive SNS use, and individuals with substance use and behavioral addictive disorders.
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Social media addiction was linked to impaired decision-making and increased impulsivity, further highlighting its potential to disrupt executive functioning in youth.
“Moreover, found that social media addiction was linked to impaired decision-making and increased impulsivity, further highlighting its potential to disrupt executive functioning in youth [21, 34].”
From Impact of social media on cognitive development of children and young adults: a systematic review (2025) · cites this paper as [21]
The Abstract (Results and Discussion; page unavailable) links higher Facebook-addiction scores to poorer Iowa Gambling Task performance, supporting the impaired decision-making portion. The Discussion (page unavailable) says the task might assess impulsivity rather than risky decision-making, but does not establish increased impulsivity as a separate finding. Participants were 18–35 years old, so the study does not establish a disruption of executive functioning in youth generally. (LLM, conf=0.88)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredA negative correlation between social media use and reward self-control has been observed, indicating that higher levels of social media engagement were associated with weaker self-control abilities.
“Similarly, a negative correlation between social media use and reward self-control has been observed, indicating that higher levels of social media engagement were associated with weaker self-control abilities (Meshi et al., 2019).”
From The impact of digital technology, social media, and artificial intelligence on cognitive functions: a review (2023) · cites this paper as Meshi et al., 2019
The Results report a negative correlation between excessive Facebook use (BFAS score) and Iowa Gambling Task performance, but only in the final 20 trials. The Methods identify the task as a measure of value-based decision making, not reward self-control; BFAS measures excessive use rather than social media engagement generally. Page numbers are unavailable in our copy. (LLM, conf=0.87)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredBoth Reed (2023) and Meshi et al. (2019) correlated PSMU with risky decisions on the IGT, while Meshi et al. (2019) found no such relationship during the BART.
“Both Reed (2023) and Meshi et al. (2019) correlated PSMU with risky decisions on the IGT, while Meshi et al. (2019) found no such relationship during the BART.”
From Problematic social media use and inhibitory control among post-secondary students (2025) · cites this paper as Meshi et al., 2019
The Results report a significant correlation between excessive Facebook use and poorer IGT performance, but only in the final 20 trials. The Methods describe IGT testing, and our copy provides no BART results; it therefore does not support the claimed absence of a BART relationship. (LLM, conf=0.90)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredExcessive social media use was associated with impaired decision-making skills.
“Additionally, reported that excessive social media use was associated with impaired decision-making skills [21].”
From Impact of social media on cognitive development of children and young adults: a systematic review (2025) · cites this paper as [21]
Previous studies showed some evidence for impulsivity in excessive social media users.
“Previous studies showed some evidence for impulsivity in excessive social media users ( 11 , 12 ).”
From Neurocognitive function among individuals with problematic social media use (2026) · cites this paper as [11]
Performance in the last block of trials on the Iowa Gambling Task negatively correlated with social media scores.
“Meshi et al. ( 11 ) found that performance in the last block of trials on the Iowa Gambling Task negatively correlated with social media scores.”
From Neurocognitive function among individuals with problematic social media use (2026) · cites this paper as [11]
Problematic social media use correlated with impaired decision-making on the Iowa gambling task, similarly to substance abusers.
“Problematic social media use correlated with impaired decision-making on the Iowa gambling task, similarly to substance abusers ( 11 ).”
From Neurocognitive function among individuals with problematic social media use (2026) · cites this paper as [11]
Previous evidence for impulsivity in excessive social media users is based on a negative correlation between social media scores and performance on the Iowa Gambling Task and a correlation between Facebook addiction-like symptoms and activation of the amygdala-striatal brain system.
“Previous evidence for impulsivity in excessive social media users is based on a negative correlation between social media scores and performance on the Iowa Gambling Task ( 11 ) and a correlation between Facebook addiction-like symptoms and activation of the amygdala-striatal (impulsive) brain system ( 12 ).”
From Neurocognitive function among individuals with problematic social media use (2026) · cites this paper as [11]
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“Additionally, reported that excessive social media use was associated with impaired decision-making skills [21].”
InfluentialNeurocognitive function among individuals with problematic social media use
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“In contrast, all studies of impulsive choice that used the Delay Discounting Task, which measures how much people evaluate rewards over time, or the Iowa Gambling Task which assesses decision-making under uncertainty, revealed a relationship with problematic social media use.”
Influential
- Authors
- Meshi, D., Elizarova, A., Bender, A., & Verdejo-Garcia, A.
- Affiliations
- Michigan State University (US)
- Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital (CA)
- 5 School of Psychological Sciences, Monash Institute of Cognitive and Clinical Neurosciences, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
- Corresponding author
- Meshi, Dar
- Venue
- Journal of Behavioral Addictions
- Publisher
- Akademiai Kiado Zrt.
- Published
- 2019-01-09
- Volume
- 8
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 169-173
- ISSN
- 2062-5871 (ISSN-L)
- 2063-5303
- PMC
- PMC7044593
- OpenAlex
- W2910141392
- Cited by
- 88
- References
- 23
- Citations by year
- 2026: 16 · 2025: 12 · 2024: 9 · 2023: 9 · 2022: 15 · 2021: 13 · 2020: 12 · 2019: 2
- FWCI
- 21.09
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- doi.org
- Licence
- cc-by-nc
- Locations
- Journal of Behavioral Addictions (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Repository of the Academy's Library (Library of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences) (acceptedVersion)
- Monash University Research Portal (Monash University) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Impact of Technology on Adolescents
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Gambling Behavior and Treatments
- Social Sciences › Decision Sciences › General Decision Sciences › Decision-Making and Behavioral Economics
- Keywords
- excessive social media use, Facebook addiction, Iowa Gambling Task, value-based decision making, risky decision making, Bergen Facebook Addiction Scale, behavioral addiction, substance use disorders, social networking sites
- MeSH terms
- Adolescent, Adult, Decision Making, Female, Humans, Male, Neuropsychological Tests, Risk-Taking, Behavior, Addictive, Young Adult, Social Networking, Social Media
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