The Dangers Of Having Slow Internet Connection At Home

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It may be a bit of weird but a new study says that slow Internet speeds do cause stress.

In fact, anyone trying to cope with terrible broadband speeds could probably have intuited already.

According to a new report from mobile broadband company Ericsson, even minor delays in Internet speed can cause your stress level to spike.

The Study

Researchers discovered this fact by monitoring participants' heart rates while they watched a video on YouTube. A single, two-second delay in starting the video could cause a person's heart rate to accelerate an additional three percentage points, compared to someone who experienced no delay.

Ericson observed the effects of slow internet in about 30 Danish volunteers by monitoring their pulse rate, brain activity and eye movements as they watched videos and browsed the contents on the web.

The participants were divided into three groups:

1. One group without  delays
2. Another group with four to six second delays
3. Last group with 10 to 14 seconds delay

The researchers discovered that 38 percent of their pulse rate, heart rate and stress levels are linked to cognitive load, associated with levels of stress related information stored in the brain, are measured.

People who experienced a six-second delay saw their heart rate go up by an extra six percent compared to the no-delay group. And if there are multiple delays, things get even worse:

People who also experienced a pause in the video once it had already started saw their heart rate go up an extra 15 percent.

In other words, having the Internet short out on you causes your body to exhibit a stress response.

In fact, the increase in heart rate caused by delays was comparable to the increase people experience watching a horror film.

So if you're trying to relax by watching a video, make sure your Internet connection can handle it, because otherwise this will be anything but relaxing.