Technology has changed our physiology. Thanks to them, we began to think differently, feel differently, and even dream differently. Technological advances are affecting our memory, attention, and sleep cycles. This phenomenon is called neuroplasticity, i.e. the ability of the brain to change under the influence of new impressions.
In this case, impressions are created through the Internet and interactive technologies. Some cognitive scientists are very positive about these new processes in our brain - they believe that technology allows a person to organize life in new ways and make us more thoughtful about certain things.
Other researchers are wary of these changes - in their opinion, we become more impatient, our concentration suffers, and we stop being creative enough. But no matter how many points of view exist, one thing we know for sure: technology has fundamentally changed our minds. Here are the directions we are changing the most:
1. We have colored dreams
Television has a profound effect on our psyche and in particular on dreams. In 2008, a study from the University of Dundee in Scotland found that adults over 55 who grew up in households with black and white televisions were more likely to have black and white dreams.
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In contrast, the younger study participants, who grew up in the era of color television, almost always daydream in color. The American Psychological Association published this data in 2011.
2. We feel FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) - this is the fear of missing something important
The New York Times defines this problem as "a mixture of anxiety, inadequacy and irritation that can flare up while you read social media or the press," and today it is becoming the norm.
Before the advent of Instagram and Facebook, people who wanted to spend Saturday night drinking a bottle of wine without getting out of bed felt a little uncomfortable, it seemed to them that they were to blame for the fact that life was passing by. But thanks to social media, this feeling is only aggravated - photos of various dishes and messages about fun parties, plus endless videos of drinking beer, thanks to friends, flood your friend feed. Even if none of this is really interesting to you, you will still have a reproachful thought: "Could I do something else now?" This is FOMO.
There has even been research showing that staring at food on Instagram makes your food taste bland.
3. "Phantom vibration"
From time to time it seems to us that our phone is about to ring, even if it is not. In 2012, in a study published in Computers and Human Behavior, researchers found that 89% of 290 students surveyed experience "phantom vibrations" at least once every two weeks - the physical sensation that their phone vibrates even when it isn't. going on.
One psychologist in the study suggested that our brains now treat certain physical sensations, such as itching, as a vibrating telephone. "Something in our brain is not working the way it did a few years ago."
While no one really complains about these sensations yet, you have to admit that it is rather bizarre.
4. We cannot sleep
We have become real technophiles who cannot fall asleep without the soft light from the monitors or the soothing sound of our favorite TV series. Others can't end their day without reading the next chapter of The Hunger Games on their tablet. But all these supposedly soothing procedures are further shattering our sleep.
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Neurologists believe that light from monitors, tablets, or the light emitting diodes of smartphones greatly affects the level of hormones responsible for rest. Bright light can deceive our brain, and then it decides that it is still day outside the window, which means it is necessary to keep the body in a state of activity, which will affect the physiological cycles of our body.
Plus, our eyes are especially sensitive to blue light that comes from screens. This only makes it harder for us to fall asleep. This is especially true for those who are already trying to fight insomnia.
5. We have limited memory and have forgotten how to concentrate
Even in ancient times, the ability to memorize by heart was considered a rather valuable skill. It was so important that students could memorize entire books. But now, in a happy Google-world, we don't have to worry about memorizing some facts, because we can find anything and anytime thanks to the search engine. Who needs to memorize the capital of Mozambique when you can just ask Siri?
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In 2007, neurologists surveyed 3,000 people and found that young people do not remember the most common personal information, such as relatives' birthdays or even their own phone number. Likewise, research has shown that using a calculator lowers basic math skills. And some people can no longer move around the city without the help of GPS.
Social media and the Internet also affect our ability to concentrate. For people who are constantly immersed in digital media, it is quite difficult to devote a lot of time to reading ordinary books, and they also skim through articles rather than carefully reading every word. This phenomenon is especially worrisome for young people, because their brains are more plastic, which means that they may not develop their attention concentration skills in the end.
6. We have improved visual skills
A 2013 study found that first-person shooters such as Halo or Battlefield games increase decision-making speed and improve visual skills.
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Immersion in the game forces players to respond quickly to visual cues, which increases the level of attention and the ability to analyze information from the external environment. In addition, gamers are better able to distinguish objects in the environment in dim lighting.
In addition, complex strategies such as Starcraft can positively affect the "cognitive flexibility" of our brains, thereby teaching the player to multitask. This was especially pronounced in the elderly study participants.
7 … but self-control has weakened
Unfortunately, the same 2013 study found that games like Halo make gamers more impulsive and less restrained. The researchers concluded that by forcing players to make hasty decisions, the brain ceases to inhibit aggressive responses.
There are also other studies that substantiate the relationship between violent video games (and other types of QMS in which we see violence) and aggression in real life.
8. We create / create more (we are more creative)
I would like to conclude this review on a positive note: technology makes life easier for creative people and people who interact with creative media. Author Clay Shirky argues that the Internet enhances what he calls "cognitive surplus" - when we can channel our free time and brain activity into a variety of creative activities that we enjoy.
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Social media, in which we spend so much free time, provide us with the opportunity to simultaneously use texts, videos, pictures (what we do not see on TV), thereby encouraging us to interact with each other and jointly create something new, be it new album on Flickr, book review, Wikipedia article, or do it yourself project.
Daniel Pink is the author of Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us:
“We do this because it’s interesting, and because it unites, and because it makes you feel like you’ve made some meaningful contribution.” When we stop thinking of time as individual minutes that we need to while away or use as a social asset, then we can apply this time in completely different ways. The accumulation of free time among the educated population - can reach a trillion hours a year - is our new resource.