HAVE you found yourself watching TV while talking on the phone and checking your emails?
Already distracted reading that sentence? Well, you're not alone, the Herald Sun reported.
The internet has not only changed our lives, it's changed the way our brains work, according to research by visiting UK social psychologist Sheila Keegan.
Dr Keegan says the internet is reducing our ability to think and concentrate and, with long-term use, could cause brain dysfunction.
"We spend huge and a growing number of hours on the internet and, as a result, our brains are returning to shallow thinking," she said.
"We are being more easily distracted, and our thinking has developed a staccato quality that lacks concentration.
"The problem is so widespread that studies have also concluded that long-term internet addiction would result in chronic dysfunction of our brains, which is a pretty scary thought!"
Dr Keegan said more research was needed to be done on the long-term effects of persistent use of the internet, particularly in young children.
She said US research had revealed some children as young as five spent up to six hours a day in front of a screen. Lengthy periods spent alone in front of the TV or on the computer meant many young children were not developing the social skills they needed for later life.
"Kids need to have a good balance. They can learn a lot from the internet," she said.
"But the human brain is quite malleable. It's hard to say what the long-term effects will be. There needs to be research. But it's a bit like climate change. We can't wait for it to happen."
Dr Keegan presented her paper, Are we losing our minds and should we be bothered?, at the Australian Marketing and Social Research conference in Sydney this week.
Read more: http://www.news.com.au/technology/surfing-the-web-is-turning-brains-to-mush/story-e6frfro0-1226133569040#ixzz1XWYNzLgk
No comments:
Post a Comment