Smartphones – Do They Make Us Stupid?
Technology, especially smartphones, makes life easier and more comfortable. We can access more information, do more things in less time, and communicate with more people. But that does not necessarily make us more productive or intelligent.
At least that’s what a study from the University of Texas at Austin claims. According to the study, cognitive capacity and global brain power are significantly reduced when the smartphone is nearby, even when it is turned off and with the face down.
A smartphone is more than a phone. It is a mini-computer that has a huge capacity to connect us to information, entertainment and social stimulation on request. However, this study suggests that we pay a cognitive price for these benefits, and the addiction we develop to them.
The cognitive cost of smartphones
Smartphones facilitate and encourage constant connection, not only with other people, but also information and entertainment, and we have the world at hand. However, while these devices have enormous potential to improve our well-being, their constant presence can have a significant cognitive cost.
The study supports a hypothesis that researchers call brain drainage . It says that only the presence of a smartphone can hijack cognitive resources that already have limited capacity, so that less resources are available for other tasks and reduce cognitive performance. This happens when you have to work to avoid the temptation to look at your smartphone. The cognitive cost is higher the more dependent you are on your phone.
Smartphones do not make us smarter
In one experiment, the researchers asked participants to sit at a computer and perform a series of tests that required a high level of concentration. The test measured the available cognitive capacity of each participant, or the capacity to store and process information at a given time. Before starting , the randomly selected groups of participants chose to put their smartphones in silent mode and place them either face down on the desk, in their pocket or purse, or in another room.
The researchers found that the participants who had their smartphones in another room were far better than those who had them on the desk. They also did a little better than those who had them in their pocket or purse.
The results suggest that a nearby smartphone reduces free cognitive capacity and affects cognitive function, even when you feel that you are focusing all your attention on the task you are performing.
“We see a linear trend that suggests that as smartphones become more noticeable, the participant’s available cognitive capacity decreases,” the researchers explained. “Your conscious mind does not think about your smartphone, but that process – the process of demanding that you do not think about anything – uses up some of your limited cognitive resources. It’s a brain drain. ”
In another experiment, the researchers tried to identify the influence of smartphone addiction on cognitive capacity.
Participants were asked to perform the same tests on a computer, with groups that were randomly composed. One group did the tests with their phones next to them face up, another with the phones in their pockets, and a third with their phones in another room. Someone in each group was asked to turn off their phones.
The researchers found that participants who identified as more dependent on smartphones did worse than those who were less dependent, but only when the phone was on the desk or in their pocket. They also found that it did not matter if the phone was on or off, or if it was up or down on the desk.
The researchers explained that the participants were not distracted because they received messages, but only because the phone was nearby.
Is it smarter to avoid smartphones?
While the researchers focused on the cognitive costs associated with the presence of smartphones, the study is equally important in its implications for their absence. Debates about social disconnection in our culture reflect a growing interest among consumers to gently reduce or at least control the time they spend on electronic devices.
Researchers note that some consumers are replacing their smartphones with less advanced phones or supplementing them with devices or features that provide a short break from them. Others turn to applications that restrict, filter and restrict the use of the smartphone.
Research suggests that these measures may be twice as beneficial for those with technological exhaustion . By redefining the meaning of their devices, these consumers can reduce their digital distraction and increase their available cognitive capacity.
Always keep this in mind – every time you need to optimize control over your attention and cognitive function, you need to keep your smartphone out of reach.
