SCIENTIFIC STUDIES
Selected Academic Papers
N Johannes, M Vuorre & AK Przybylski
February 2021
Video game play is positively correlated with well-being
People have never played more video games, and many stakeholders are worried that this activity might be bad for players. So far, research has not had adequate data to test whether these worries are justified and if policymakers should act to regulate video game play time. We attempt to provide much-needed evidence with adequate data. Whereas previous research had to rely on self-reported play behaviour, we collaborated with two games companies, Electronic Arts and Nintendo of America, to obtain players' actual play behaviour. We surveyed players of Plantsvs.Zombies: Battle for Neighborville and Animal Crossing: New Horizons for their well-being, motivations and need satisfaction during play, and merged their responses with telemetry data (i.e. logged game play). Contrary to many fears that excessive play time will lead to addiction and poor mental health, we found a small positive relation between game play and affective well-being. Need satisfaction and motivations during play did not interact with play time but were instead independently related to well-being. Our results advance the field in two important ways. First, we show that collaborations with industry partners can be done to high academic standards in an ethical and transparent fashion. Second, we deliver much-needed evidence to policymakers on the link between play and mental health.
AK Przybylski & N Weinstein
August 2019
INVESTIGATING THE MOTIVATIONAL AND PSYCHOSOCIAL DYNAMICS OF DYSREGULATED GAMING: EVIDENCE FROM A PREREGISTERED COHORT STUDY
The American Psychiatric Association (APA) and World Health Organization (WHO) have called for research investigating the clinical relevance of dysregulated video-game play. A growing number of exploratory studies have applied self-determination theory to probe the psychological dynamics of problematic gaming, but little is known about these dynamics in adolescents—the targets of most concerns—or the extent to which dysregulated gaming, in turn, affects functioning. In our study of British adolescents and their caregivers (n = 2,008), we adopted a confirmatory lens to test the extent to which basic psychological need satisfactions and frustrations underlie dysfunctional gaming behavior. The results, in line with preregistered sampling and data-analysis plans, indicated the frustrations, but not the absence of satisfactions, of psychological needs predicted adolescents’ dysregulated gaming and psychosocial functioning. Our discussion focuses on the clinical significance of gaming dysregulation and the advantages of transparent scientific practices for research informed by, and meant to inform, APA and WHO guidance.
A Orben TD Dienlin & AK Przybylski
May 2019
In this study, we used large-scale representative panel data to disentangle the between-person and within-person relations linking adolescent social media use and well-being. We found that social media use is not, in and of itself, a strong predictor of life satisfaction across the adolescent population. Instead, social media effects are nuanced, small at best, reciprocal over time, gender specific, and contingent on analytic methods.
SOCIAL MEDIA’S ENDURING EFFECT ON ADOLESCENT LIFE SATISFACTION
AK Przybylski & N Weinstein
January 2017
A LARGE-SCALE TEST OF THE GOLDILOCKS HYPOTHESIS: QUANTIFYING THE RELATIONS BETWEEN DIGITAL-SCREEN USE AND THE MENTAL WELL-BEING OF ADOLESCENTS
Although the time adolescents spend with digital technologies has sparked widespread concerns that their use might be negatively associated with mental well-being, these potential deleterious influences have not been rigorously studied. Using a preregistered plan for analyzing data collected from a representative sample of English adolescents (n = 120,115), we obtained evidence that the links between digital-screen time and mental well-being are described by quadratic functions. Further, our results showed that these links vary as a function of when digital technologies are used (i.e., weekday vs. weekend), suggesting that a full understanding of the impact of these recreational activities will require examining their functionality among other daily pursuits. Overall, the evidence indicated that moderate use of digital technology is not intrinsically harmful and may be advantageous in a connected world. The findings inform recommendations for limiting adolescents’ technology use and provide a template for conducting rigorous investigations into the relations between digital technology and children’s and adolescents’ health.
Vuorre, M., Orben, A. & Przybylski, A. K. (2021) There Is No Evidence That Associations Between Adolescents’ Digital Technology Engagement and Mental Health Problems Have Increased. Clinical Psychological Science.
Johannes, N., Vuorre, M. & Przybylski A. K. (2021). Video game play is positively correlated with well-being. http://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.202049
Przybylski, A.K., Nguyen, Tv.T., Law, W. & Weinstein, N,. (2021) Does Taking a Short Break from Social Media Have a Positive Effect on Well-being? Evidence from Three Preregistered Field Experiments. Journal of Technology in Behavioral Science.
2020
Johannes, N., Vuorre, M. and Przybylski, A.K. (2020). Video game play is positively correlated with well-being.
https://doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/qrjza
IJzerman, H., Lewis, N.A., Przybylski, A.K., Weinstein, N., DeBruine, L., Ritchie, S.J., Vazire, S., Forscher, P.S., Morey, R.D., Ivory, J.D. and Anvari, F. (2020). Use caution when applying behavioural science to policy. Nature Human Behaviour, 4(11), pp.1092-1094. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-020-00990-w
Przybylski, A.K., Orben, A. & Weinstein, N. (2020). How much is too much? Examining the relationship between digital screen engagement and psychosocial functioning in a confirmatory cohort study. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 59(9), pp.1080-1088. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaac.2019.06.017
Orben, A., Weinstein N & Przybylski, AK. (2020) Only Holistic and Iterative Change Will Fix Digital Technology Research, Psychological Inquiry, 31:3, 235-241, DOI: 10.1080/1047840X.2020.1820221
Holmes, E.A., O'Connor, R.C., Perry, V.H., Tracey, I., Wessely, S., Arseneault, L., Ballard, C., Christensen, H., Silver, R.C., Everall, I. & Ford, T, et al. (2020). Multidisciplinary research priorities for the COVID-19 pandemic: a call for action for mental health science. The Lancet Psychiatry. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2215-0366(20)30168-1
Etchells, P., Brown, N.J., Heathers, J. & Przybylski, A.K. (2020). Inconsistencies in a study of the relationship between sleep disorders, mental health, and gaming behaviour in Africa. http://dx.doi.org/10.31234/OSF.IO/XGFHR
Orben, A., Przybylski, A.K. (2020). Reply to: Underestimating digital media harm. Natural Human Behaviour 4, 349–351. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-020-0840-y
Orben A, Przybylski AK. (2020). Teenage sleep and technology engagement across the week. PeerJ 8:e8427
https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.8427
2021
2019
Przybylski, A. K., & Weinstein, N. (2019). Investigating the Motivational and Psychosocial Dynamics of Dysregulated Gaming: Evidence From a Preregistered Cohort Study. Clinical Psychological Science, 2167702619859341. https://doi.org/10.1177/2167702619859341
Przybylski, A. K., & Weinstein, N. (2019). Violent video game engagement is not associated with adolescents’ aggressive behaviour: evidence from a registered report. Royal Society Open Science, 6(2), 171474. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.171474
Orben, A., Dienlin, T., & Przybylski, A. K. (2019). Social media’s enduring effect on adolescent life satisfaction. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 116(21), 10226–10228. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1902058116
Lanier, M., Waddell, T. F., Elson, M., Tamul, D. J., Ivory, J. D., & Przybylski, A. K. (2019). Virtual reality check: Statistical power, reported results, and the validity of research on the psychology of virtual reality and immersive environments. Computers in Human Behavior, 100, 70–78. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2019.06.015
Weston, S. J., Ritchie, S. J., Rohrer, J. M., & Przybylski, A. K. (2019). Recommendations for Increasing the Transparency of Analysis of Preexisting Data Sets. Advances in Methods and Practices in Psychological Science, https://doi.org/10.1177/2515245919848684
Orben, A., & Przybylski, A. K. (2019). Screens, Teens, and Psychological Well-Being: Evidence From Three Time-Use-Diary Studies. Psychological Science, 095679761983032. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797619830329
Orben, A., & Przybylski, A. K. (2019). The association between adolescent well-being and digital technology use. Nature Human Behaviour, 1. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-018-0506-1
Weinstein, N., & Przybylski, A. K. (2019). The impacts of motivational framing of technology restrictions on adolescent concealment: Evidence from a preregistered experimental study. Computers in Human Behavior, 90, 170–180. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2018.08.053
2018
Przybylski, A. K. (2018). Digital Screen Time and Pediatric Sleep: Evidence from a Preregistered Cohort Study. The Journal of Pediatrics. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpeds.2018.09.054
Przybylski, A. K., & Nash, V. (2018). Internet Filtering and Adolescent Exposure to Online Sexual Material. Cyberpsychology, Behavior and Social Networking, 21(7), 405–410. https://doi.org/10.1089/cyber.2017.0466
Legate, N., Weinstein, N., & Przybylski, A. K. (2018). Parenting Strategies and Adolescents’ Cyberbullying Behaviors: Evidence from a Preregistered Study of Parent–Child Dyads. Journal of Youth and Adolescence. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-018-0962-y
van Rooij, A. J., Ferguson, C. J., Colder Carras, M., Kardefelt-Winther, D., Shi, J., Aarseth, E., … Przybylski, A. K. (2018). A weak scientific basis for gaming disorder: Let us err on the side of caution. Journal of Behavioral Addictions, 1–9. https://doi.org/10.1556/2006.7.2018.19
2017
Przybylski, A. K., & Weinstein, N. (2017). Digital Screen Time Limits and Young Children’s Psychological Well-Being: Evidence From a Population-Based Study. Child Development. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.13007
Weinstein, N., Przybylski, A. K., & Murayama, K. (2017). A prospective study of the motivational and health dynamics of Internet Gaming Disorder. PeerJ, 5, e3838. https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.3838
Przybylski, A. K., & Bowes, L. (2017). Cyberbullying and adolescent well-being in England: a population-based cross-sectional study. The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health, 1(1), 19–26. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2352-4642(17)30011-1
Elson, M., & Przybylski, A. K. (2017). The Science of Technology and Human Behavior: Standards, Old and New. Journal of Media Psychology, 29(1), 1–7. https://doi.org/10.1027/1864-1105/a000212
Przybylski, A. K., & Nash, V. (2017). Internet Filtering Technology and Aversive Online Experiences in Adolescents. The Journal of Pediatrics, 184, 215-219.e1. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpeds.2017.01.063
Przybylski, A. K., & Weinstein, N. (2017). A Large-Scale Test of the Goldilocks Hypothesis: Quantifying the Relations Between Digital-Screen Use and the Mental Well-Being of Adolescents. Psychological Science, 28(2), 204–215. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797616678438
2016
Przybylski, A. K., & Weinstein, N. (2017). A Large-Scale Test of the Goldilocks Hypothesis: Quantifying the Relations Between Digital-Screen Use and the Mental Well-Being of Adolescents. Psychological Science, 28(2), 204–215. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797616678438
Przybylski, A. K., Weinstein, N., & Murayama, K. (2016). Internet Gaming Disorder: Investigating the Clinical Relevance of a New Phenomenon. American Journal of Psychiatry. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ajp.2016.16020224
Przybylski, A. K., & Wang, J. C. (2016). A large scale test of the gaming-enhancement hypothesis. PeerJ, 4, e2710. https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.2710
Przybylski, A. K. (2016). Mischievous responding in Internet Gaming Disorder research. PeerJ, 4, e2401. https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.2401
Aarseth, E., Bean, A. M., Boonen, H., Colder Carras, M., Coulson, M., Das, D., … Van Rooij, A. J. (2016). Scholars’ open debate paper on the World Health Organization ICD-11 Gaming Disorder proposal. Journal of Behavioral Addictions, 1–4. https://doi.org/10.1556/2006.5.2016.088
Przybylski, A. K., & Weinstein, N. (2016). How we see electronic games. PeerJ, 4, e1931. https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.1931
EARLIER
Selected Academic Papers Published Before 2016