Moreover, some may intentionally or unconsciously want to escape direct communication with people but feel lonely when they are offline because they cannot "find" friends around them. For example, people who have many fans or so-called friends in the virtual world may ironically be loners in real life because they have invested much of their time and energy managing their virtual "image".

This phenomenon was highlighted by a China Internet Network Information Center survey in 2012. A total of 60.9 percent of the about 16,500 respondents to the survey said too much attention to the Internet hindered and somewhat weakened their interpersonal relations with friends, relatives and even spouses. And 57.3 percent of them admitted that communicating online made them feel even more lonely.

Psychologist Zhang Yiyun says face-to-face communication is a complicated and high-level social behavior that tests one's interpersonal skills, and the sense of happiness it produces in a person can never be replaced by online interaction.

Therefore, people who use WeChat or other similar virtual social networking tools to communicate with relatives and friends should first figure out why they are doing so. If it is for work, they should try to reduce the use of such apps and tools after the work is done. And if it is for recreational purposes or to chat with others, they should make a conscious effort to ensure the apps and tools do not eat into their spare time. In other words, the second group should work out a plan to spend more time interacting face-to-face with relatives, friends and colleagues to lead a healthier emotional life.

The author is a writer with China Daily. Xiaolixin@chinadaily.com.cn