Technology Draining Your Brain?

Just two short years ago, the Pew Research Center revealed that cell phone ownership among adults climbed to the astronomical level of 91% in the United States.  That indicates that pretty much single grown-up you encounter owns a device that often seems implanted into their ear.

How did our grandparents and parents ever survive without this mobile communication gadget? Today, we can barely envision our lives without this indispensable electronic contraption:

• Our smartphones help us quickly obtain phone numbers
• It connects us with kids and family and friends (and our work)
• We attain instant directions to our destinations with rapid speed
• Our smartphones even recommend eateries that cater to our dining preferences

But whoa….slow down.

Let’s pause a moment to explore the ramifications of some new research that poses the question “are our mobile phones actually making us lazy thinkers?” 

A recently published exploration of mobile phone use indicates the following:

• constant accessibility to the world wide web allows for modern day individuals to avoid thinking for themselves
• when requiring information, solutions or answers, consumers habitually choose to exercise their device's search engine rather than their own brainpower
• Smartphone users who are intuitive thinkers are short changing themselves. Results imply that individuals who give credibility to their gut feelings and instincts when making decisions have actually altered the way they think due to the way we use smartphones.

It is certainly acceptable to have an intimate relationship with your electronic gadget, but it does not permit this handheld appliance to become your only source for acquiring common knowledge on a daily basis.

Investigators made the following very bold conclusion… "Our research provides support for an association between heavy smartphone use and lowered intelligence. Whether smartphones actually decrease intelligence is still an open question that requires future research."

Parents should also guard against their offspring from exclusively employing the internet for knowledge.  It is effortless for teenagers to gather data from on-line sources and perceive it as “gospel” while never questioning or thinking about the facts on their own.

We must all gather together, raise our hands in the air, take a pledge and declare that we will not permit our Smartphones to act as an extension of our minds and opinions. (Can we get a hallelujah?).

Not everyone is going to agree with the conclusions of this study.  After all, isn’t using a smartphone for information just like we used to go to the library? And isn’t it similar (only much more efficient) than having to use paper maps to get directions?

So splurge, dive in and indulge in the freshest technology available.  Let the courteous and accommodating Verizon store personnel lead you to explore the most valuable mobile communication device for your lifestyle.  At Verizon, you may even qualify for an iPhone upgrade every year.

Sign up for reliable service with virtually no risk at T-Mobile for an untethered lifestyle. In fact, if you aren’t completely contented with your coverage experience with T-Mobile, they will refund you for every penny you’ve paid for your new device in the first month.

But always remain cognizant of these findings that indicate we must all be leery of relying too much on our cell phones and assure our brains do not turn to mush.