Is there a psychological reason for people being mean on the Internet?

But being mean in a virtual world can spill over into real life, resulting in an increase in aggressive communication with coworkers, family members and friends that later must be repaired. While being unkind online can temporarily boost self-esteem, it's a short-lived high. For lasting benefits, you'll need to form meaningful connections within a group.

Not to mention that having a negative outlook on life could actually shorten your lifespan. Case in point? One study discovered happy nuns lived nine years longer than their negative sisters [source: Chopra].

Yet, our brains are wired toward negativity, both to give it and to remember it. Back in the Stone Age, it was more important to remember to avoid the threatening tiger than to approach the friendly dog. If you have a tendency to be an online downer, changing your persona could be as simple as retraining your brain. If you can encourage positive thoughts in real life, you're more likely to be nice online, too. By recognizing the many good things that happen throughout the day, such as finishing a work project, completing household chores or keeping a date with the treadmill, you're retraining your brain. The more you cultivate positivity, the more active the left side of your brain's prefrontal cortex will be, and over time, this activity will help overshadow any negative emotions that may crop up [source: Rope].

Still, the Internet seems to attract comments that people wouldn't dare express publicly in real life, especially when it comes to hot topics such as sexual orientation, ethnicity or gun control [source: Kornblum]. So what should you do if your blog, Facebook page, Twitter handle or Internet conversations become the target of a meanie? We've got a few tried-and-true strategies to employ on the next page.

Many online publications have begun requiring commenters to register and provide a valid e-mail address to put the brakes on trolls -- posters who intentionally comment using provocative or profanity-laced language to get a rise out of others. Whether it actually makes a difference is debatable [source: Ferenstein].

On a more personal level, what can you do to diffuse the online wars? One of the most effective strategies is to give yourself a time-out. Take a few minutes (or hours) to cool off before you reply. And when you do, remain objective. If it's on your personal blog or social media account, ask the person to stop. If that doesn't occur, then block the person from the service you are using and/or report them to the administrator of the message board or chat room, or even your Internet provider [source: Gardner].

If the threats seem likely to escalate and spill over into real life, make a police report. With the exception of Montana, in 2012 every state in the U.S. had a law against bullying behavior. However, only 16 of those states included an anti-cyberbullying provision. An additional five states were in the process of proposing laws against cyberbully behavior [source: Hinduja].

Of course, pursuing legal action is most effective if you haven't thrown any gasoline on the fire. Don't respond to negative comments with negativity of your own. It's important to preserve your online image, so don't stoop to the same level and fire back with a zinger. If you find it difficult to resist a retort, you always have the option of disabling comments or enabling a comment-approval feature [source: Robertson].

Of course, if someone is just responding rudely to a comment of yours on some random Web site, you always have the option to leave it alone. Is it worth the mental energy to even dignify it with a response? As with all interactions with difficult people, it helps to remember the source. People who are lashing out usually have troubles of their own and are simply looking to exert control or discomfort -- all in an effort to personally feel better.