Do Smartphones Reduce Intelligence?
Technology, and smartphones in particular, make our lives easier and more enjoyable. We have access to more information, we can get more done in less time, we communicate with a lot of people… But that doesn’t mean they make us more productive. Do smartphones reduce intelligence?
More specifically, our smartphones reduce our cognitive ability. At least that’s what a recent study by the University of Texas at Austin, USA states. According to that study, cognitive ability and overall brain power are significantly reduced when you have your smartphone close by, even if it’s turned off or turned upside down.
The smartphone is more than a cell phone. It is a small computer that offers a huge capacity to connect. The presence of our smartphone allows us to have access to information at the same time, to various forms of entertainment, facilitates social stimulation and much more. However, this research suggests that these benefits, and the dependency they generate, can take a cognitive price.
The Cognitive Cost of Smartphones
Our smartphones allow and encourage a constant connection not only between people, but also with information and entertainment, putting the world at our fingertips. However, while these devices have immense potential to improve our well-being, their constant presence can have a significant cognitive cost.
This research tests the hypothesis that the researchers called “brain drain”. According to this hypothesis, the simple presence of the smartphone can occupy cognitive resources of limited capacity, thus leaving fewer resources available for other tasks and devaluing cognitive performance.
The results of the experiments carried out by the researchers indicate that even when people are able to maintain continuous attention, the mere presence of these devices diminishes available cognitive capacity. This happens, for example, by avoiding the temptation to check your smartphone. Furthermore, these cognitive costs are greater the greater the dependence on smartphones.
The experiment to find out if smartphones reduce intelligence
In one experiment, researchers asked study participants to sit in front of a computer to perform a series of tests that would require a good deal of concentration. The tests were aimed at measuring the participants’ available cognitive capacity, that is, the brain’s ability to store and process information at a given time. Before starting, participants were randomly chosen to place their muted smartphones face down on the table, in their pocket, in their backpack or in another room.
The researchers found that participants with smartphones in another room significantly outperformed those with smartphones on the table. They also slightly outperformed participants who had put the devices in their pockets or backpacks.
The results suggest that the mere presence of a smartphone reduces available cognitive capacity and affects cognitive functioning, even if people feel that they are using all their attention and are focused on the task at hand.
In another experiment, the researchers tried to identify the influence of smartphones, but also tried to isolate the effect that could have a greater or lesser dependence on the devices.
The researchers proposed the same computer tests to the participants. The groups were also separated at random: one group had to take the tests with smartphones on the side and with the screen facing down, another group with smartphones in their pockets, another group with the devices in another room and another simply it had to be with the devices turned off.
The researchers found that participants who were more dependent on their smartphones fared worse compared to their less dependent peers, but only when they had their smartphones on their desk or backpack or even in their pocket. They also found that it didn’t matter if the smartphone was on or off, or if it was face down on the table.
The researchers explain that it is not that the participants were distracted because they received notifications on their smartphones, but that the mere presence of the device was enough to reduce the participants’ cognitive abilities.
Would it be smarter to avoid the smartphone?
Although researchers focused primarily on the cognitive costs associated with the presence of smartphones, the study is equally relevant to the potential implications of their absence. The “disconnect” debates in popular culture reflect a growing consumer interest in intentionally reducing – or at least controlling – interaction time with electronic devices.
In this sense, the researchers point out that some consumers are replacing their smartphones with cell phones with less modern features or are complementing them with devices or features that offer a brief break from the connection. Others are turning to apps that find, filter and limit smartphone usage.
Research suggests that these measures can be doubly beneficial for people who are digitally tired. Thus, by redefining the importance of their devices, these consumers are able to reduce digital distraction and increase available cognitive capacity.
In any case, keep this idea in mind:
