University students who order takeaway ready meals frequently might have a higher possibility of becoming depressed, indicates a recently released survey from China.
The study, launched last year by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, investigated the physical and mental health of college students and graduates in 18 universities across the country.
It found that these young adults, who said they frequently ate delivery food alone, had lower self-evaluation of their physical and mental health.
The fact that the frequency of takeaway meals is correlated with the degree of depression among students does not mean that more takeaways will lead to depression, said Chang Ying, media commentator of Guangming Daily.
But the popularity of online food ordering reflects a weakening in the social ability of college students, Chang noted.
Dining together is the easiest way to socialise. If students have no communication with the outside for long, their communication skills will get weaker and the risk of being depressed is likely to rise, she noted.
With a mobile phone, people can chat with people in real time via WeChat, establish connection through likes and comments, and order food on an O2O application.
As the internet is everywhere, college students are more accustomed to socialising online behind the screen. They feel more indifferent to offline social activities and feel it is harder to build a group identity in real life, she added.
A previous study proved people feel deeply pessimistic when they indulge in online social networking but fear to build social connections in real life.
Social needs, which are centered on belonging or a need to form and maintain lasting social connections, remains a major part in the hierarchy of needs, said Chang.
She suggests all college students entertain themselves by putting down their mobile phones, making more time to be with friends.
Content sourced from the People's Daily Online here