We’ve heard story after story about people becoming obsessed with AI chatbots and experiencing profound breaks with reality. As PsyPost reports, scientists have found that people who use AI chatbots tend to experience higher levels of psychological distress compared to individuals who don’t. The team measured the level of psychological distress using a 38-item measure of mental well-being called the Mental Health Inventory, and compared outcomes between those who reported using the AI chatbots and those who didn’t. “The cross-cultural consistency was striking; social chatbot use was related to poorer mental well-being in all six countries,” Savolainen told PsyPost. More on AI chatbot use: A Startling Proportion of Teens Now Prefer Talking to AI Over a Real Person