One in four users often feel overwhelmed and stressed by their own internet browsing habits. The more browser windows and tabs are open at the same time and the more interactive elements such as pop-up advertisements appear on the screen, the higher the individual stress level rises. This is the conclusion reached by researchers at Aalto University who generally advise users to stick to a maximum limit for tabs open at the same time when surfing the web.
Tabs and multitasking
“We first examined what challenges there are for users that can overwhelm them when they move on the Internet. “We also looked at the behavior that leads to clutter in the browser and paid attention to how users react to the resulting stress,” says Janne Lindqvist, Associate Professor and Head of the Department of Computer Science at Aalto University, summing up his latest research project together.
The results of a survey via interviews and online questionnaires show: Everything depends on your personal browsing habits. “For example, if someone has many windows and tabs open at the same time and is bombarded with advertising, their stress level can rise very quickly ,” says the expert. Anyone who then multitasks on various content topics - such as booking a trip in one tab and chatting with a friend in the other - will eventually feel overwhelmed and have difficulty concentrating, says Lindqvist.
Change habits
According to the researcher, many users respond to the stress they experience while surfing the Internet by either trying to change their browsing habits or their attitude towards the overload of information on the screen. “Only the first problem-focused approach turned out to be a sensible solution. An example of this variation would be to limit clutter by setting a top limit for the number of tabs that can be open at the same time,” says Lindqvist.
The expert himself hopes that his research results will contribute to a better web browsing experience and encourage users to be more self-reflective during this activity: “We use computers every day and it doesn't always work out ideally. We must try to benefit from them while reducing their disadvantages as much as possible.”
Source: press release
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