Neuropsychological Variables Associated with Potential Addictive Behaviors

Abstract

Some studies have suggested that activities such as excessive video gaming, pornography use, or shopping may be considered addictive behaviors. However, it is premature to assert that any form of excessive engagement is classified as such. Across these two studies, we examined differences in impulsivity, compulsivity, and cognitive flexibility—variables strongly associated with addictive behaviors—among groups of habitual video gamers, gamblers, pornography consumers, and shoppers. Study 1: Cognitive flexibility was evaluated in 66 shoppers, 139 video gamers, 115 gamblers, and 78 pornography consumers. Results confirmed that gamblers and shoppers exhibited impaired performance on the task evaluating cognitive flexibility, whereas pornography consumers and video gamers displayed a preserved pattern. Study 2: Impulsivity and compulsivity were examined in 135 video gamers and 120 gamblers. Results suggested that executive dysfunction and positive urgency are more relevant to gambling-related compulsivity, whereas negative urgency and maladaptive regulation are more prominent in the case of video gaming. These findings reveal that the excessive engagement in specific activities does not exert a uniform neuropsychological impact across different groups, nor does it behave as expected in an addictive behavior. Furthermore, the results reinforce the need to refine neuropsychological profiles and to create targeted interventions tailored to the unique characteristics of each profile.