Internet stress and well-being: Daoist and Hellenistic reflections

The excessive reliance on the Internet can potentially result on dependence and in some cases addiction that can potentially have a negative impact on wellbeing. In this paper we shall collectively refer to the negative impacts of the Internet on wellbeing, as Internet Stress. Although wellbeing (or happiness, self-fulfilment, or the ancient Greek philosophical notion of eudaimonia) can have different meanings to different people, it may not be controversial to say that wellbeing is typically a key pursuit of human beings. This paper explores the phenomenon of Internet Stress and its possible amelioration if not solution, from two philosophical perspectives: from the East, a Daoist perspective and from the West, a Hellenistic perspective, and one that encompasses both Stoic and Epicurean philosophy.