Do Smartphones Make Us Stupid?
Technology, and in particular smartphones, make our life simpler and more enjoyable. They allow us quick access to a lot of information, to do more in less time, to communicate with a lot of people… But beware, this doesn’t mean that they make us more productive or smarter.
In reality, our smartphones reduce our cognitive capacity, or at least this is what emerged from a recent study from the University of Texas, Austin. According to the study, cognitive capacity and overall brain power are significantly reduced when the cell phone is held within reach, even with the screen facing the table or turned off.
The smartphone is more than a phone. It is a small computer that allows us to connect with the world. The presence of our “smart phone” allows us to access any information in real time, to various forms of entertainment, offers us social stimuli and much more. However, US research suggests that these benefits, and the addiction generated by them, can cause quite a few cognitive problems.
The cognitive price of smartphones
Our smartphones foster and encourage a constant connection not only between people, but also with information and entertainment, putting the world within reach of our fingers. Although the potential of these devices to improve our well-being is evident, their constant presence next to us can cause serious cognitive damage.
The research supported the hypothesis that investigators call ” brain drain “. According to this hypothesis, the mere presence of the smartphone can affect cognitive abilities by limiting them and thus reducing the limited resources available for other functions, also minimizing cognitive abilities.
The results of the experiments carried out by the researchers also indicate that in terms of maintaining attention levels, the mere presence of these devices reduces the cognitive capacity available. This happens, for example, when you are tempted to control your smartphone. What’s more, the cognitive price is directly proportional to the addiction to smartphones.
Smartphones don’t make us smarter
During one experiment, the researchers asked participants to sit in front of a computer to carry out tests that would require a good deal of concentration. The tests were aimed at measuring the participants’ cognitive ability, in other words, the brain’s ability to store and process data at a given time. Before starting, some participants were selected to put their smartphone in silent mode and with the screen on the desk, others in their pocket, some in their bag or in another room.
The researchers wanted to verify that participants who left their phone in another room passed the tests more satisfactorily than those who put it on their desk, bag, or pocket.
The results suggest that the mere presence of a smartphone reduces available cognitive capacity and adversely affects cognitive functioning, even if the person believes they are totally concentrating on the task they are doing.
In another experiment, the researchers tried to verify the influence of smartphones in relation to the degree of dependence exerted by them on the participants.
Participants underwent the same computer tests. The division into groups was done randomly again this time: one group had to carry out the test holding the phone next to and with the screen upwards, another group had to put it in the bag, another in the next room and the last he simply had to turn it off.
The study found that participants most influenced by the functioning of their smartphones performed worse than their less dependent peers, but only if the smartphone was on their desk, bag or pocket. It also turned out that it didn’t matter if the device was screen-facing or not, turned on or off.
The researchers explain that the participants were not distracted by receiving a notification, but the mere presence of the device was enough to reduce their cognitive ability.
Is it smarter to avoid the “smart phone”?
Although the scholars focused primarily on the cognitive costs associated with the presence of smartphones, the study is equally relevant to the potential implications of their absence. The debates about “disconnection” in popular culture reflect a growing consumer interest in intentionally reducing – or at least controlling – the interaction time with electronic devices.
In this sense, the researchers say that some consumers are replacing their smartphones with phones with less advanced features or that they are pairing them with other devices or features that offer a short break from the online world. Others are even resorting to applications that track, filter and limit their use.
Research suggests these measures may be doubly useful for those who are digitally fed up. By re-evaluating the relevance of their devices, these consumers can reduce digital distraction and increase their available cognitive abilities.
In any case, keep this idea in mind:
Whenever you need to optimize your attention and cognitive function, keeping your smartphone out of sight will help you increase brain power.
