Smartphones are under attack in a new study that aims to tell us that we are getting dumber if we use these electronic products, or even if we don't use them. The study was done by researchers at the University of Texas, with the aim of measuring the cognitive power of those who use a smartphone regularly for a variety of actions.
The study analyzed no less than 800 people who use a smartphone each in their everyday life, and in each usage test their cognitive ability was measured. The tests were done not while the people were using a smartphone, but while they were doing another action requested by the researchers, but with their smartphone next to them, or in another room.
The idea behind this test was to find out what information processing capacity these people's brains have when they work with a smartphone nearby, or without a smartphone. Unsurprisingly, people whose smartphones were moved to other rooms performed much better than people who worked with a smartphone next to them.
All smartphones had their sounds muted, and although some placed their terminals in their pockets, or in bags near them, their cognitive ability was not as good as those who moved their terminals to other rooms. Although those with smartphones in other rooms had the best performances, those with the terminals in their pockets, bags, also did better than those with the terminals on the table, but with the screen down.
As expected, the result of the study was that people lose their cognitive ability when a smartphone is around them, even if they are not using it. Placing the terminal with the screen down on the table still allows us to concentrate better than if the terminal is placed in the pocket, but moving it to another room helps us to concentrate the best.
"We see a linear trend that suggests that as the smartphone becomes more noticeable, participants' available cognitive capacity decreases. Your conscious mind isn't thinking about your smartphone, but that process—the process of requiring yourself not to think about something—uses up some of your limited cognitive resources. It's a brain drain."
