A University of Waterloo study suggests that people who rely heavily on smartphones score low on cognitive ability tests. The tests involved analytic thinking. Comparison of the results to people who are not as smartphone dependent took place. Using smartphones to answer difficult and not so difficult questions inhibits a person’s ability to problem-solve.

Six hundred sixty participants in three studies were given tests that measured cognitive styles that ranged from intuitive to analytical. Numeracy and verbal skills were part of the testing. The participants then had their smartphone habits assessed. Analytic and intuitive classification based on the results divided the group into two sets. Analytic thinkers are more prone to use a logical process to approach problems. Intuitive thinkers rely on gut intuition when making decisions.

Intuitive thinkers use search engines often in the problem-solving approach. Gordon Pennycook, co-leader of the Waterloo study, reported intuitive thinkers look up information they already know, or that is easy to learn. He suggests intuitive thinkers are unwilling to make an effort to think about some problem. Analytic thinkers rely on brain power. The conclusion drawn was smartphones make us stupid.

Are smartphones making us stupid

Are smartphones making us stupid? The other lead author of the study, Nathaniel Barr, reports decades of research reveal humans eagerly avoid expending effort to solve problems. He feels the use of smartphones will continue to increase as an extension of people’s minds.

The research suggests smartphone users have a lower IQ than non-users, at least foe the kind of intelligence measured by the study. Smartphones making us stupid may be an incorrect conclusion. It is arguable that it is less intelligent people who use smartphones instead of the smartphones negatively affecting intelligence. Further research is appropriate.

Barr worries that technologies make it had to recall life without them. It is important to understand the effects and relation smartphones have to human psychology. He has a point. Why learn to read a map if when access to Google Maps is available? Technology makes life easier by lessening the physical or cognitive load. There is no need to solve third order equations when people can plug data into software and instantly get the answer. If you at least the working principle is not understood, then a logical conclusion seems to be that technologies such as smartphones make us stupid.

Not everyone agrees. Tibi Puiu, a new media enthusiast and science writer, believes adverse technology affects surface on lazy people. There are proactive technology users who use the devices to their advantage. Using the technology frees cognitive space and concentration on more important problems, which would otherwise be unapproachable, takes place. His answer to,’Are smartphones making us stupid?’ would be ‘No.’

Other Studies

Over recent years, other studies have been conducted in the way phones affect the lives of people. Early results are worrisome. The 2015 January issue of Social Psychology reports the presence of a phone not in use has effects on complex mental tasks. Two groups were given the task to scan a row of single digits and strike our consecutive numbers whose total was a certain number, such as three. Half of the participants were requested to put smartphones away. The others were asked to put their phone ostensibly on their desks to answer survey questions about the phone features. No phone rang during the experiment. The participants with phones on their desks performed about 20 percent worse than those having phones put away.

A possible explanation is smartphone usage conditions users to anticipate new messages. Having the phone in sight tempts the user to avert some attention to the phone, which affects mental firepower. The ‘Are smartphones making us stupid‘ conclusion seems to be verified. At least their presence affects concentration and makes people appear to be less intelligent. Those same individuals would likely do as well as the other group had their smartphones been out of sight.

There is an obstruction in the ability to form interpersonal connections. A lab experiment paired participants who were to discuss an event occurring within the last month. Conversations with half the members took place with a smartphone on the table. The other half occurred with a small spiral notebook on the table.

The evaluation yielded striking results. Smartphone participants viewed their partners as less trustworthy and understanding than conversationalists having the notebook in view. The phone group expressed more skepticism about the dialog yielding a close friendship than the notebook group.

Virginia Tech conducted a follow-up study that confirmed impressions of people are less complimentary in the presence of a smartphone. Because of less eye contact, the quality of the conversation is diminished. Conversationalists are apt to miss subtle changes in tone or expression.

There is a strong reason to believe frequent smartphone use and the ensuing connectivity interfere with the formation of memory. Periods of rest are essential to transferring short-term memory to long-term memory. There are fewer opportunities to form long-term memory when spending free moments on responding to texts or refreshing emails occurs.

It is ironic that devices designed to foster connections and improve efficiency achieved the opposite consequences. Tools used to control lives are controlling the lives of the user. To rephrase smartphones make us stupid.

Technology in the Workplace

The workplace often overlooks the perils of technology. Distraction-free periods are a necessity for optimal performance. During that time, full uninterrupted attention focuses on the task at hand. Because technology is an allowable distraction, distraction-free periods are hard to come by. The decision to keep going or check email drains mental energy.

Even brief interruptions increase the chances for error. Diverted attention uses up cognitive resources when reorienting. There is less mental energy to complete the job. Research suggests frequent decision-making is tiresome. Resulting fatigue makes it difficult to distinguish between truly important tasks and those felt to be urgent. When employers are being asked ‘Are smartphones making us stupid?’ many would answer in the affirmative.

It is important to acknowledge that innovations are not all equal in effecting production improvement. As the expectation of workplace technology expands, it is best to note that performance enhancement may mean turning off the monitor, disconnecting the telephone, and thinking. Employers would not be responsible for smartphones making us stupid.