‭Social Media’s Addicting Algorithms: Patterns, Function, and Effects on Users‬

‭ bstract:‬
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‭Social media mega apps, including TikTok, Instagram, and Snapchat, have grown exponentially‬
‭in success and usage over the past decade, while some social media platforms, like MySpace,‬
‭have crashed out. How, and why, are some platforms more engaging and successful than others?‬
‭Rooted back to early mathematical discoveries like graph theory and Reed’s Law, all networks,‬
‭and by extension social networks, are based upon the collection and output of data encompassing‬
‭connections and sub-groups. Through this, successful platforms take advantage of this‬
‭knowledge to keep their databases maximally engaging and comprehensive, along with the usage‬
‭of specific algorithms that target the brain’s reward center and dopamine production that‬
‭replicates the sensation of addiction. Unfortunately, this increase in social media consumption‬
‭parallels the heightened amount of mental and physical issues-human body changes including‬
‭physique, morphological differences in brain structure, and sleep, along with behavioral and‬
‭emotional issues-that develop from these platforms. Adolescents in particular seem to be the‬
‭most at risk to the extremity of these effects due to their brain not being fully matured.‬

‭ ey Words:‬
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‭Social media, TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, MySpace, graph theory, Reed’s Law, psychology,‬
‭social networks, algorithms, addiction, brain, reward center, dopamine, adolescent addiction,‬
‭mental health issues, physical issues, brain alterations‬
‭Chapter 1: Introduction to Social Media‬

‭ ocial media apps have grown exponentially widespread in recognition and usage that it is‬
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‭almost an anomaly not to partake in their usage. Now, the most used of these platforms includes‬
‭TikTok, Meta, Snapchat, and X.‬‭However, while we all know the main platforms that drive‬
‭today’s headlines, what happened to formerly famed platforms that have gone out of business,‬
‭like MySpace? What makes one social media platform more successful than another, and remain‬
‭that way?‬

‭ here are so many reasons for the success of social‬

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‭media apps in general: connecting and‬
‭communicating easily with friends, entertainment,‬
‭seeing inspiring content and ideas, and more. It is‬
‭all exciting to take part in, and has become‬
‭extremely normalized. Almost everyone nowadays‬
‭uses some form of social media because of how‬
‭easy it is to stay in the loop and keep in touch with‬
‭friends. But that is not all. The corporations behind‬ ‭Source: Search Engine Journal‬
‭social media have their own agenda of staying‬
‭successful and generating money, thus designing their apps in a way to maximize usage. Done‬
‭through various ways, the most substantial are their specifically designed algorithms that‬
‭generate chemical sensations, reeling in the user to crave more content and keep them engaged‬
‭for as long as possible. Let us take into consideration TikTok, or Instagram. Here,‬‭content is‬
‭tailored individually based on the user’s likes, how long they stay on a post or watch a video,‬
‭what they skip through, what they even say out loud with their phone nearby, and more. But is‬
‭that all? What makes a successful algorithm function in order for a platform to thrive?‬

‭ hapter 2: Social media algorithms: what are the mathematical roots that make one‬
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‭platform more successful than another?‬

‭ lthough not seemingly transparent, the world, including our human bodies, are all bound‬
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‭together by networks. Down to the neural networks in our brains, the internet, and thus by‬
‭extension, social networks, everything is all driven by an “‬‭underlying mathematical structure‬‭,”‬
‭called‬‭graph theory‬‭. Discovered in 1735 by Leonhard Euler, a mathematician and physicist in‬
‭Switzerland, graph theory consists of the idea that all graphs and networks are composed of‬
‭nodes, or vertices, and edges, which can be understood as the lines or paths connecting the nodes‬
‭together. To put it simply, imagine a graph with a bunch of dots and lines connecting them, the‬
‭lines having specific directions or lack thereof.‬
 ‭Cosmic Web‬ ‭Neural Network in Brain‬
‭Source: Forbes‬ ‭Source: Brain and Behavior Research Foundation‬

‭ ccording to graph theory, graphs and networks can have nodes with multiple edges between‬
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‭them, or nodes with only one edge linking them. This collection of nodes and edges comprises‬
‭what is known as a network. In the figure below, neural networks and social networks are‬
‭depicted. Neurons and Facebook both are identified as nodes that have edges or paths that‬
‭connect one another.‬

‭ raphs consist of nodes and edges, or lines. Top shows‬

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‭neurons, representing nodes, connecting through gap synapses,‬
‭or edges, exchanging electrical signals to communicate‬
‭signals. Bottom shows Facebook, where each user is a node‬
‭and friend requests are edges.‬

[‭ ‭“ ‬ ‬‭Neuronal and social networks translated into graphs”‬‭by‬

‭Sabina J Haque, mathematician and Ph.D student at Harvard‬
‭University and graphics done by Jovana Andrejevic‬‭,‬‭applied‬
‭physics Ph.D. student at Harvard University‬‭;‬
‭https://sitn.hms.harvard.edu/flash/2021/graph-theory-101/‬‭]‬

‭ ach neuron, or node, is connected to other neurons‬

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‭through chemical signaling pathways called synapses. Between these gap junctions, electrical‬
‭signals jump from one neuron to another, back and forth or simultaneously, consequently‬
‭outputting signals like emotions and thoughts. In the case of social media platforms like‬
‭Facebook, it is similar in that sense. One example is that each user represents a node, and each‬
‭friend request is an edge or path that can have multiple trajectories. It is not just friend requests,‬
‭but rather the collection of multiple networks building the framework of data. Social media‬
‭platforms take into account the relationships between the users (nodes) and the links between‬
‭them (edges), to facet an output that ultimately drives engagement.‬

‭ hile this may seem extremely broad, we can look into Instagram, for example. Let us say two‬
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‭users like a lot of each other’s posts, direct message each other constantly, and just engage with‬
o‭ ne another frequently. This would then create an undirected graph, where the edges between the‬
‭nodes have no ultimate direction of path. But if one user frequently interacts with another while‬
‭not reciprocated, a directed graph would be constructed, where the edges do have a singular‬
‭point of direction (away from the uninvolved user and pointed towards the interested user).‬

‭ ifferent types of graphs: nodes and the paths of edges between them. [‬‭“‭N
D ‬ euronal and social‬‭networks translated‬
‭into graphs”‬‭by‬‭Sabina J Haque & Jovana‬‭Andrejevic‬‭;‬‭https://sitn.hms.harvard.edu/flash/2021/graph-theory-101/‬‭]‬

‭ uccessful apps like Facebook and Instagram use this knowledge of connections and create‬
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‭algorithms that identify weighted graphs, in which certain edges have a higher density of‬
‭relations compared to other edges. In order to keep people using their platform more, these‬
‭algorithms detect these concentrations and consequently produce a specifically designed output‬
‭of media tailored to the user themselves. This concept dates back to Reed’s Law, in which the‬
‭power and value of social networks grows not just through establishing and understanding‬
‭connections, but with the simultaneous production of increased sub-groups and interactions‬
‭within the network.‬

I‭ have seen this firsthand myself. I interact a lot with my‬

‭close friends on Instagram, and every now and then, my‬
‭phone receives notifications specifically targeting them.‬
‭This could be a notification that they have just recently‬
‭posted, added something to their story, or liked my post. On‬
‭the other hand, my feed and notifications do not consist of‬
‭people I mutually (or do not) follow that I do not have much‬
‭interaction with. I also see suggested people to follow based‬
‭on my mutual friends, or suggested content based on similar‬
‭attributes.‬ ‭Because the algorithms understand the value‬
‭of connections, what I see is designed to make me want to engage with the app and spend more‬
‭time on it.‬
I‭ am also given recommendations of posts, or people, that I may like or know. This‬
‭understanding of potential increase of sub-groups also piques interest in the user. Chunka Mui‬
‭delves into the understanding of Reed’s Law and the importance of sub-groups in his Forbes‬
‭publication called “‬‭Why Facebook Beat MySpace, and‬‭Why MySpace's Revised Strategy will‬
‭Probably Fail‬‭.” He provides a metaphor, saying that‬‭“while networks of fax machines are great‬
‭because they let any one of us send a document to anyone else, it's much more powerful to let‬
‭like-minded individuals form groups around whatever topic happens to interest them and then to‬
‭share as a group.”‬

‭ nd that is, on the surface level, how social media platforms are successful. They take into‬
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‭account the value of what I am interested in seeing, what I could be interested in, the importance‬
‭of connections, but also, the creation of sub-groups.‬

‭ latforms that have crashed out, like MySpace, failed to acknowledge the golden factor: there‬
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‭should be an incorporation of social interaction between users, and it should be tailored upon the‬
‭multifaceted collection of data that the user would‬‭want‬‭to see. A‬‭New York Times article‬‭quotes‬
‭Erin Polley, where she explains why she is no longer a MySpace user, saying that “‘Every time I‬
‭logged on it was just messages from bands I barely heard of,’ she said. ‘Facebook allows you to‬
‭actually connect with real people, rather than bands or celebrities.’” Along with lacking a more‬
‭individualized feed of content, MySpace also did not utilize the importance of understanding and‬
‭predicting user relationships.‬

‭ o further understand how important this relationship truly is, the theory of triadic closure can be‬
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‭used. Let us tie this back to graph theory. Triadic closure effectively suggests that if two nodes‬
‭exist in exclusivity (no edge or path connecting them), then there is a large chance that there may‬
‭be a third node that connects with both of them. This ultimately would allow for the‬
‭understanding and prediction of a connection between the two nodes that have this third node in‬
‭mutuality. Now, if each of the nodes was a person using the platform, then the amount of‬
‭sub-groups within the network would increase, and by consequent, the social network itself as‬
‭well.‬

‭Source: Semantic Scholar‬

‭ pps like Facebook and Instagram understand how relationships, sub-groups, and growing social‬
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‭networks are important, and thus factor it into account with their algorithms to output the most‬
‭engaging and interactive version of their platform they can for users. On the other hand,‬
‭programs like MySpace realized just too late how much of a necessity this is for succeeding, or‬
‭simply failed to implement it the best way.‬

‭Chapter 3: Social media algorithms: effective for their success, but detrimental to users‬

‭ lthough these algorithms of popular social media platforms are effective in success and‬
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‭popularity for the companies behind them, there are unfortunately immense effects users face‬
‭with prolonged usage. There are various reasons for this, one of the paramount being that users‬
‭seem to exhibit similar tendencies as a person suffering with addiction does.‬

‭ ddiction can be grouped into substance use addictions and non-substance use addictions, like‬
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‭behavioral addictions. For example, a person may be addicted to a certain drug due to the‬
‭sensation of reward they receive. A person may be addicted to a certain behavior, like gambling,‬
‭again because of the high reward they get in return. In both scenarios, the brain’s reward system‬
‭is stimulated along with a flood production of a neurotransmitter called dopamine, which gives‬
‭feelings of pleasure and affects other aspects of the‬
‭brain and body. However, these feelings are what is‬
‭called instant gratification, in which it is only fleeting.‬
‭After the feeling departs, you are left wanting more,‬
‭and through repetitive use, left craving more. This is‬
‭because through consistent engagement, overall, your‬
‭body becomes dependent on receiving copious‬
‭amounts of instant dopamine, and stops generating the‬
‭steady level that normally would be produced. At the‬
‭end of the day, the user is left feeling worse than they‬
‭started, but also left searching for more.‬
‭Source: Yale Medicine‬

‭ here are many scientific effects of addiction, such as changes in neurochemical pathways and‬
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‭some irreversible changes to brain structure, which I will touch on later.‬

I‭ n quite a similar way to how addiction works, social media triggers large quantities of dopamine‬
‭and activates the brain’s reward center. In the figure below, a brain scan of a teenager is depicted‬
‭after being shown social media content with increased affirmation.‬
 ‭ ighlighted green portion depicts‬
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‭activity of nucleus accumbens,‬
‭the brain’s center for reward‬
‭circuits. After showing teenagers‬
‭photos with more likes and views,‬
‭activity and concentration spiked‬
‭versus showing photos with likes‬
‭and views‬‭.‬
‭[‭“‬ The Teenage Brain on Social‬
‭Media” by Lauren Sherman,‬
‭neuroscience researcher at‬
‭UCLA‬‭;‬
‭https://newsroom.ucla.edu/releases/the-teenage-brain-on-social-media‬‭]‬

‭ ultiple tests were done on teenagers being shown content with increased recognition and‬
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‭positive acknowledgment, and the results showed the same: highly active reward centers‬
‭stimulated with dopamine surges. To reference back to gambling addictions, social media creates‬
‭a behavioral addiction due to generating similar feelings of euphoria and the risk of‬
‭unpredictability.‬‭McLean Hospital‬‭explains how this‬‭unhealthy relationship is formed, stating‬
‭that‬‭“‘When the outcome is unpredictable, the behavior‬‭is more likely to repeat. Think of a slot‬
‭machine: if game players knew they never were going to get money by playing the game, then‬
‭they never would play… The i‬‭dea of a potential future‬‭reward keeps the machines in use. The‬
‭same goes for social media sites. One does not know how many likes a picture will get, who will‬
‭‘like’ the picture, and when the picture will receive likes. The unknown outcome and the‬
‭possibility of a desired outcome can keep users engaged with the sites.’” The issue is that this‬
‭outcome is not unintentional. Daniel Kruger, Ph.D further elaborates this psychological usage of‬
‭gambling techniques in a publication at the University of Michigan, affirming that “These‬
‭methods are so effective they can activate similar mechanisms as cocaine in the brain, create‬
‭psychological cravings and even invoke “phantom calls and notifications” where users sense the‬
‭buzz of a smartphone, even when it isn’t really there.” To be quite frank, I myself have felt these.‬
‭It is honestly quite bizarre, as these buzzes of notifications‬‭feel‬‭so real, and yet when I take my‬
‭phone out to check, I am left with a bare screen. But to what extent does this really start to take a‬
‭toll on users?‬

‭Chapter 4: Who is the most at risk for becoming addicted to social media?‬

‭ ocial media can be considered an addiction. Of course, to what extent depends on the amount‬
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‭that the user engages with the platform, and what composes the user’s background and identity.‬
‭Adolescents in particular seem to be the most affected, and this is because their brains and bodies‬
‭are not fully done developing.‬
‭ arkham Heid of Time Magazine published an article, “We Need to Talk About Kids and‬
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‭Smartphones,” where he addresses that adolescent‬‭brains‬‭are “‘deliberately’ set up for‬
‭risk-taking. The prefrontal cortex — the part of the brain involved in ‘executive functions’ that‬
‭support careful decision-making (like self-monitoring and impulse control) — does not fully‬
‭develop until the mid-20s, long after the maturation of the emotional processing and‬
‭reward-seeking centers.” Adolescents search for “highly stimulating and rewarding activities‬
‭while seeming less wary of potential risks.” This causes heightened vulnerability to becoming‬
‭affected and addicted to external influences such as social media because of the pleasure giving‬
‭qualities social media usage gives.‬‭However, not only are they more impressionable, but they are‬
‭more at risk to the extremity of the effects.‬‭The APA also touches on a study done in the UK on‬
‭adolescents, in which they discovered critical periods of time in development where kids were‬
‭most vulnerable to social media’s harm. Between around ages 14 to 15 for boys, and 11 to 13 for‬
‭girls, “more social media use predicts a decrease in life satisfaction a year later, while lower use‬
‭predicts greater life satisfaction.” (‬‭Orben, A., et‬‭al.,‬‭Nature Communications‬‭, Vol. 13, No. 1649,‬
‭2022‬‭).‬

‭ hile adolescents as a sub-group can be considered the most at risk to the harmful consequences‬
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‭of social media, when and how social media begins to affect its user detrimentally has a lot to do‬
‭with the user’s identity: their socioeconomic status, ethnicity and race, and their background. An‬
‭article published in‬‭Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public‬‭Health,‬‭Social media use can be positive‬
‭for mental health and well-being‬‭, includes research‬‭from the‬‭Viswanath Lab‬‭at Harvard that‬
‭further explores the correlation between someone less predisposed to the risks of social media‬
‭versus someone that is more, and why. After conducting multiple experiences and studies, the‬
‭Viswanath Lab found that having increased access and privilege, including access to better‬
‭education and not being within a minority or marginalized group. Nusheen Ameenuddin, a‬
‭pediatrician at Mayo Clinic, also acknowledges that “‘‬‭some kids are going to be more‬
‭susceptible to depression and other mental health problems than others… But it’s not true of‬
‭every kid.’”‬

‭ his makes sense. Every child has different personalities, genetic makeup, and environmental‬
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‭predispositions and factors that contribute to their identity, body, and psyche. All of these factors‬
‭lead to whether one kid is more mentally unstable than another, and thus could be more‬
‭vulnerable to the negative effects of social media. Dr. Ameenuddin references a study conducted‬
‭in 2014 on around 10,000 fourteen-year-olds which found a correlation between increased‬
‭mental health problems and the duration the teens used social media each day. The damage‬
‭began at around an average of three hours of usage everyday. However, she emphasizes that the‬
‭study also found that “the teens most prone to mental health problems were being harassed‬
‭online, replacing sleep time with social media time, or had poor body image or self-esteem…‬
‭especially if they fall into the trap of comparisons… [while] kids who use social media in these‬
‭more positive ways can do quite well.‬‭”‬
‭ o, it is a bit skewed. Social media does not affect every single adolescent in the same way, and‬
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‭can be more beneficial or harmful to one than another based on a multitude of factors that serve‬
‭to who the user is. Now, while all of this is true, it does not mean that if one person is less‬
‭susceptible to the harm of social media, they are completely shielded and unaffected. Dr.‬
‭Ameenuddin‬‭raises the fact that social media platforms‬‭are powered by “‬‭algorithms‬‭[that] aren’t‬
‭designed with kids’ brains or development in mind… They’re designed to keep kids scrolling‬
‭and clicking for ongoing engagement, regardless of quality, accuracy or safety of the content‬
‭itself.”‬‭As a result, even regardless of the adolescent’s predisposition and the way they use social‬
‭media, they can ultimately still be negatively affected, such as accidentally seeing harmful‬
‭content.‬

‭ hapter 5: Morphological changes in brain, physical changes like sleep, and mental health‬
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‭issues associated with prolonged social media use‬

‭ rolonged social media is correlated with a plethora of actual changes to the human body, the‬
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‭first one being morphological differences in brain structure. Because social media can be‬
‭considered an actual addiction due to the targeting and consequent effects to the brain’s reward‬
‭center and dopamine stimulation pathways, there is a potential for neurological damage and‬
‭alteration. A recent publication in the journal Nature did a study comparing the degree of‬
‭people’s social networking site addiction (SNS) and the consequent gray matter volume (GMV)‬
‭in their brain. To preface, gray matter is a structure within the brain that helps with processing‬
‭and outputs, and its volume is relevant in what is considered healthy. The amygdala is a brain‬
‭structure most prominently functional in the regulation of decisions, behaviors, and emotions. In‬
‭the figure below, the right two graphs show the correlation between GMV in the amygdala in‬
‭comparison to a person’s SNS score. With increasing addiction, it is evident that in both the right‬
‭and left amygdala, there is a negative correlation and decrease in GMV.‬
‭ eing a new and emerging concentration of study, there is not much determinative evidence yet‬
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‭to completely affirm the direct links between increased social media use and changes in the‬
‭amygdala, the correlation does exist. Researching more into how changes of GMV in the‬
‭amygdala affects someone, a publishing in the National Library of Medicine states “Amygdala‬
‭gray matter volume (GMV) or density is correlated with magnitude of stress and anxiety in the‬
‭normal population, and the change of amygdala volume is a neural signature of a variety of‬
‭emotion-related disorders.”‬

‭ nd potentially, why it seems that people with higher screen time have increased emotional‬
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‭fluctuations and sensitivities. Markham Heid delves into this, claiming that excessive phone use‬
‭from adolescents leads to many adverse effects, including decreased social skills, sleep problems,‬
‭and a rise in suicide and depression. Heid cites research from multiple studies to support his‬
‭claims. For instance, Jean Twenge, a professor of Psychology at San Diego State University,‬
‭from 2010 to 2015 found that children who spent a couple of hours a day on their phones showed‬
‭almost double the percentage of suicide-related behavior. In a recent publication called,‬
‭“Momentary Links Between Adolescents’ Social Media Use and Social Experiences and‬
‭Motivations: Individual Differences by Peer Susceptibility” in the Developmental Psychology‬
‭Journal, Emma Armstrong-Carter and multiple other authors and researchers conducted an‬
‭experiment to determine the relationship between using social media and feelings of social‬
‭disconnectedness and decreased mental health, along with cravings and sensation seeking in‬
‭adolescents. There were two research questions: Did the children’s use of social media to‬
‭connect with their peers in the last hour correlate with their consequent emotions of “social‬
‭connectedness, social craving, and sensation seeking,” (Emma Armstrong-Carter et al, 2023, p.‬
‭709), and does this hourly link of correlation differ for those deemed as more vulnerable to peer‬
‭pressure by their peers?‬

‭ he hypothesis for the first question was that the kids would feel more connected to their peers if‬
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‭they were utilizing social media to connect with them; however, they would feel isolated if their‬
‭usage was surface-level and not meaningful at all, leading them to crave more genuine‬
‭connections and feelings. The second research question hypothesized that children who are more‬
‭vulnerable to peer influence would be using social media to try to find and satisfy their longings‬
‭for social connections and emotions due to being highly sensitive to social reactions and‬
‭responses. Two hundred twelve participants in this study were in their sophomore and junior‬
‭years of high school in the US, taken from an ethnically diverse sample of 212 “rural‬
‭low-income community,” (Emma Armstrong-Carter et al, 2023, p. 709). The method was‬
‭administered through momentary ecological assessments.‬
‭The children being tested would report as many times during the day whether or not they‬
‭used social media within the last hour and their immediate feelings afterward. They also‬
‭administered a peer nomination where the peers would measure how much a particular‬
‭adolescent was susceptible to peer pressure (Emma Armstrong-Carter et al, 2023). The‬
r‭ esearchers found that, in general, all the adolescents using social media very frequently felt‬
‭socially isolated, and those more vulnerable to peer influence felt these feelings immediately‬
‭after using social media. Thus, they concluded that there is indeed a correlation between‬
‭adolescents’ use of social media and negative feelings of isolation and withdrawal, along with‬
‭the byproducts of anxiety and other related psychological phenomena linked to these emotions.‬

I‭ n the most recent years, there has been a monumental increase in nation-wide documented‬
‭mental health issues in adolescents, where,‬‭“A total‬‭of 167,783 adolescents aged 12 to 17 years‬
‭were assessed annually using national surveys from 2009 to 2019. Rates of adolescent depression‬
‭increased from 8.1% in 2009 to 15.8% in 2019, a relatively larger increase than reported in a‬
‭previous examination in the NSDUH from 2005 to 2014.”‬‭Although social media may not solely‬
‭be the direct cause due to other external factors, it is important to acknowledge the correlations.‬
‭Because social media has been found to increase adolescent depression and mental health issues,‬
‭it is safe to say there is an interesting and related parallel between social media having an impact‬
‭historically on adolescent mental health.‬

‭ eid also included a study finding that children with more phone screen time were more likely to‬
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‭show symptoms of ADHD, and another study linked increased screen time with decreased sleep‬
‭quality. To understand how phones and social media can interrupt sleep, a publishing in the‬
‭National Library of Medicine, “Social Media Use and Sleep Disturbance among Adolescents: A‬
‭Cross-Sectional Study,” articulates the findings done through an implemented survey on‬
‭highschool students and their phone status while they sleep. The graph is depicted below.‬
‭ he majority of respondents said that they keep their phones turned on and in the same room as‬
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‭them while sleeping, and this finding is pretty similar for both females and males. This shows the‬
‭attachment and addiction adolescents have with their cell phones and how disruptive it can be.‬
‭Of course, depending on the extent of someone’s reliance and addiction, they may not feel the‬
‭full scope of detriments in comparison to a teenager who does have a lot of screen time. In any‬
‭case, though, simply keeping your phone on, in the same room, during sleep can cause‬
‭interruptions through buzzes from notification alerts, and with increased rate of usage, effects‬
‭like ‘phantom alerts,’ and the need or craving to check online, and more, can all disrupt a night‬
‭of good sleep.‬

I‭ t goes even deeper than this. Most people check their phones before they sleep, either to set‬
‭alarms, scroll at the end of the day, or more. The issue with this, other than addiction, is that this‬
‭actually interferes with the body’s melatonin production, a sleep hormone that controls the‬
‭quality of sleep and the body’s circadian rhythm. Any piece of technology that has a screen, such‬
‭as laptops, TVs, and in greatest consideration, phones, emits a frequency of light called blue‬
‭light. Harvard Health published an article, “Blue light has a dark side,” delves into the idea that‬
‭blue light suppresses melatonin, and consequently, imbalances the body’s circadian rhythm. Not‬
‭only is the quality of sleep perturbed, but, “Worse, research shows that it‬‭may‬‭contribute to the‬
‭causation of cancer, diabetes, heart disease, and obesity.”‬

‭ ack of sleep is tied with many other problems as well, including mental health, behavioral,‬
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‭cognitive, and short and long-term health issues.‬