>>Computer-mad generation has a memory crash
Cherry Norton and Adam Nathan
GROWING numbers of people in their twenties and thirties are
suffering from severe memory loss because of increasing
reliance on computer technology, according to new research.
Sufferers complain they are unable to recall names, written
words or appointments, and in some cases have had to give up
their jobs.
Doctors are blaming computer technology, electronic
organisers and automatic car navigation systems. They claim
these gadgets lead to diminished use of the brain to work out
problems and inflict "information overload" that makes it difficult
to distinguish between important and unimportant facts.
A preliminary study of 150 people aged 20 to 35 has shown
that more than one in 10 are suffering from severe problems
with their memory. Researchers from Hokkaido University's
school of medicine in Japan said the memory dysfunction
among the young required further investigation.
"They're losing the ability to remember new things, to pull out
old data or to distinguish between important and unimportant
information. It's a type of brain dysfunction," said Toshiyuki
Sawaguchi, the university's professor of neurobiology. "Young
people today are becoming stupid."
One high-flying 28-year-old salesman treated by Dr Sawaguchi
was forced to give up his job when he found himself forgetting
where he was going, who he was supposed to be seeing or,
when he finally got there, what he was selling.
Although no formal studies have been undertaken in Britain,
experts are increasingly recognising the problem. Professor
Pam Briggs of Northumbria University, who recently chaired a
British Psychological Society symposium on the effects of
technology, said: "I think increased use of the internet and
computer technology is starting to have an effect. Everyday
memory might be at threat if you are using the computer as a
kind of external memory."
Dr Takashi Tsukiyama, who runs a private clinic in Tokyo, said
he had seen an increase in severe memory problems. "In the
past two years, more people in their twenties and thirties have
presented themselves with memory impairment," he said.
One sales assistant aged 28 said she suddenly found herself
unable to recall written words and was dismissed from her job.
"Ageing affects the brain's hardware, but errors may occur in
the brain's 'software' that have nothing to do with age but are
related to someone's lifestyle, such as not using your brain
enough," said Tsukiyama.
Dr David Cantor, director of the Psychological Services Institute
in Atlanta, Georgia, who has treated patients for memory and
attention problems for more than 20 years, said: "Many experts
believe information overload is making it difficult for some
people to absorb new information, as they have reached a limit
of what they can store in their brains. These people forget
things because they were too distracted to absorb them in the
first place." <<
sunday-times.co.uk
And I thought it was just me . . . . |
