Internet use changes the brain and deteriorates our memory
If you spend a lot of time on the Internet, will have a negative impact on your brain! In a recent study, it became clear that the frequent use of the Internet, the function of our brain changes. Affected, have a worse memory, and, in General, easier to distract.
In the case of the current joint investigation by the Western Sydney University, Harvard University, Kings College, Oxford University and the University of Manchester has found that a strong Internet use has a negative impact on our memory and our concentration. The results of the study were published in the English journal “World Psychiatry”.
The Design of the Internet is changing the structure of the brain
For the study, hundreds of Participants asked various memory tests and cognitive tasks were to be completed. In addition, the brain Scans had been performed. The researchers found that the Design of the Internet is changing both the structure and the capabilities of the human brain. The Internet can cause both acute and lasting changes in certain areas of the cognition that changes in the brain reflect themselves on our attention, memory processes and social interactions have an impact, report the researchers.
The study under the leading hypotheses examined how the Internet can change cognitive processes, and examined the extent to which these hypotheses by recent findings from psychology, psychiatry, and the image can be based research. On the basis of a combination of the different models, they analyzed how the Internet can affect the structure and function of the brain, and cognitive development.
The Internet promotes an ever-divided attention
“The results show that a high degree of Internet can affect use, in fact many of the functions of the brain. For example, the unlimited power of prompts and notifications from the Internet encourages us to constantly split attention to maintain,“ explains study author Dr. Joseph Firth of the Western Sydney University in a press release. This in turn could reduce our ability to concentrate on a single task to maintain. In addition, the Online world offers us a uniquely large and constantly accessible resource for facts and information, which is only a few clicks away. In view of the fact that we now have, literally, most of the facts of the world at Hand, this seems to change the way we store facts and Knowledge and value.
Protect Your Children
Not only adults are at risk, our children are affected. The authors warn that children are not allowed to neglect important development activities such as social interaction and movement, by spending too much time with digital devices. Here there is now a variety of Apps and software programs that enable Internet access to and use of Smartphones and Computer can be restricted. In addition, it is important to talk with children often about how your Online life affects. Hopefully the children identified, in which, for example, the risk of cyber bullying or addiction, and it will allows for timely Intervention to avoid adverse consequences.
Benefits must be weighed against potential risks
The potential night minimize the negative effects of the intensive use of the Internet, should people train their own mindfulness, also called the techniques of Internet hygiene should be observed, such as, for example, a reduction in the Online-multi-tasking and the reduction of the evening Online activities. The results of this study underline how much more we need to learn about the impact of our digital world on our mental health and our brain health. “There are certainly potential benefits for some aspects of health, but we need to weigh against potential risks,” explained study author Dr. John Torous Director of the program for digital psychiatry at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. (as)