Cell phones make Britons dumber

To be truthful, they’re probably making Americans dumber, too. But hey, this report is on the British, so let’s concentrate on them for the time being. It appears that memory functions among Britons is declining, and experts are blaming reliance on mobile phones. The idea is that we have more and more to remember nowadays, and we’re using technology to aid us. Problem: the less you actively use your memory, the worse it becomes. So while taking notes in your BlackBerry may be useful in the short term, it has long term effects on your memory.

The numbers are a bit concerning, though we wish they had included rates of decline in recent years.

The research reveals that the average citizen has to remember five passwords, five pin numbers, two number plates, three security ID numbers and three bank account numbers just to get through day to day life.

That truly is a lot. We don’t have quite that many, so we don’t have to resort to mobile memory aids. But we can imagine having to do so with that much to remember.

They say that 60 percent of respondents said they’re overloaded with information, and in order to deal with it all they have to write it down. This overload doesn’t just include the items listed above; almost two thirds of respondents couldn’t remember the birthdays of more than three immediate family members. Now that’s remarkable.

The survey also notes that people over 50 — who are much less reliant on mobile technology — are more apt to remember simple things like bank account numbers and birthdays of family members. It’s scary to see the elderly with better memories than the youth.

In other news, 55 percent of men could remember their wedding anniversary, while 90 percent of women could. We don’t think this has anything to do with mobile technology.

[Telegraph]

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