According to a new study by the University of Cincinnati by social and behavioral expert Anthony Chemero, while there are many negatives associated with smart technology, there are also a positive side.
“Despite the headlines, there is no scientific evidence that smartphones and digital technologies harm our biological cognitive abilities,” says the UC professor of philosophy and psychology, who recently co-authored an article in Nature Human Behavior.
In the paper, Chemero and colleagues at the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management discuss how the digital age is evolving and how intelligent technology complements thinking, helping us outperform.
“Instead, smartphones and digital technologies seem to be changing the way we use our biological cognitive abilities,” says Chemero, adding, “these changes are actually cognitively beneficial.”
For example, he says, the smartphone knows the way to the ballpark so you don’t have to dig up a map or ask for directions, which is what releases the brain’s energy to think about something else. The same applies in the professional environment: “In 2021 we will not solve complex mathematical problems with pen and paper or remember phone numbers.”
Computers, tablets and smartphones act as tools that can be easily memorized, calculated and saved and that can present information when required.
In addition, intelligent technology improves decision-making skills that we would struggle to achieve on our own, says the study’s lead author, Lorenzo Cecutti, a graduate student at the University of Toronto.
Using GPS technology on our phones can not only help us get there, but also allow us to choose a route based on traffic conditions. “That would be a challenging task when driving around a new city.”
Chemero adds, “If you put all of this technology together with a bare human brain, you get something that is smarter … our unadulterated biological capabilities.”
While smart technologies can have other consequences, “it’s none of the things that make us stupid,” says Chemero.
Interested in cryptocurrency? We discuss everything about crypto with WazirX CEO Nischal Shetty and WeekendInvesting founder Alok Jain on Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, and anywhere you get your podcasts.
