According to researchers, using a smartphone does not necessarily make you forgetful; in fact, it may have the opposite impact.
A study of roughly 160 adults disproved the “use it or lose it” notion of memory.
Instead, volunteers’ recollections improved when they were permitted to set reminders on their phones.
Dr. Sam Gilbert of University College London, the study’s author, stated that the findings indicate digital time and location reminders are effective.
However, we must ensure that we back up the most vital information.
The memory test was administered on a Samsung Galaxy tablet to 158 individuals aged 18 to 71.
The volunteers were shown numbered circles within a box whose sides were of various hues.
The circles were initially colored before fading to yellow.
Participants were required to drag the numbers from one to twelve to the side of the box that corresponded to their initial color.
Participants were compensated based on the number of circles they were able to correctly drag to the correct side.
One side of the square was identified as “high value” and is ten times more valuable than the other.
Each member of the group completed the job 16 times.
For eight rounds, they had to rely on their memory, but for the remaining eight rounds, they had to set reminders.
Participants accomplished this by quickly dragging circles close to the correct side of the box into which they would ultimately be moved. According to the experts, this is akin to leaving an item needed for tomorrow by the front door.
The results, which were published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, indicate that the volunteers’ memory improved by 18% when they were permitted to use leave reminders.
Dr. Gilbert, a neuroscientist at UCL, remarked, “We discovered that when people were permitted to use external memory, the device assisted them in recalling the knowledge they had stored in it.”
‘This was hardly surprising.’
Even among those who did not take notes, their recall for low-value circles improved by 27%, according to the results.
Dr. Gilbert continued, ‘This was because the gadget altered how people stored high-importance versus low-importance information in their memories.
When individuals were required to remember on their own, they utilized their memory ability to recall the most vital facts.
When they were able to use the device, however, they saved the most vital information to it and used their memory for less vital data.
However, the data also suggested that using reminders may have a cost.
The participants struggled to recall the valuable information they had jotted down when they were taken away. The team concluded that this shows the participants committed critical information to technology and then forgot about it.
Dr. Gilbert continued, “If a memory tool fails, we may be left with only unimportant information in our memories.”
He stated that the findings contradict the concept of “digital dementia.”
Some neuroscientists have warned that failing to exercise memory — such as by electing to write down chores or utilize GPS directions — could cause it to get much worse.
According to some scientists, this will cause people to utilize technology even more and could contribute to an increase in dementia occurrences.
