There are countless research studies that have been published recently about the physiology changes that have occurred in the human brain over the course of the last 10 years or so, due to our ever more, technological or digital lives. The question about whether these changes are great news for us humans, or whether this means a tragic end to focus, attention and creativity, has divided many of the smartest minds in research and psychology.
Recently, in a Mashable article written by Rebecca Hiscott, the author was able to distill the effects on the brain to a convenient “8 Ways Tech has completely rewired our brains” – for better or worse, you decide. Here are 3 of the eight from the article that I find particularly interesting.
1. We experience FOMO
FOMO is yet another new term, spawned from the digital revolution and it refers to the ‘fear of missing out’. The definition is "the blend of anxiety, inadequacy and irritation that can flare up while skimming social media.” Our lives are constantly being measured up to those of our friends/family through social media. “Boy, my dinner doesn’t look as good as Suzie’s instagram photo” “Maybe I should be doing something more interesting then just sitting around reading a book, look at the pictures Johnnie just posted on FaceBook “
2. We can’t sleep
This is about the light emitted by the various devices we are now taking into our bedrooms – phones, ipads, laptops etc. The science shows that our internal clocks are being reset and that our brains are being fooled to think it’s daytime. This can’t be good. There is equally as much research around that tells us we are a severely sleep deprived generation which is seriously affecting our health and well-being.
3. Our memories aren’t great, and neither is our attention span
Long gone are the days when we are asked to memorize facts and figures and that those that were able to do this well, were valued in most economic circles. Now, everything is at our fingertips. This goes for our attention spans too. The research shows that we are now getting bored quicker and will not likely be reading books or long articles and instead are skimming the content that we come across.
As I look through a number of white papers describing these changes, I’m struck by the question, how does this affect human connection?
http://mashable.com/2014/03/14/tech-brains-neuroplasticity/