Lack of Digital Downtime Could Inhibit Learning, Studies Suggest
Being constantly tethered to your smartphone and other digital devices may interfere with the downtime needed for learning and creativity, studies suggest.
Scientists point to two studies showing that constant stimulation has a downside, the New York Times reports. According to the newspaper, “Even though people feel entertained, even relaxed, when they multitask while exercising, or pass a moment at the bus stop by catching a quick video clip, they might be taxing their brains, scientists say.”
One study at the University of California at San Francisco found rats’ brains show new patterns of activity when they experience new things, but the patterns aren’t processed in a way to permit long-term memories until they take a break. A second study at the University of Michigan found that people learn better after a walk in nature than after a walk in a city, suggesting that the barrage of information from the urban walk leaves people overwhelmed.
One of the California researchers, Loren Frank, told the Times he suspects the findings of his rat study also apply to people. “Almost certainly, downtime lets the brain go over experiences it’s had, solidify them and turn them into permanent long-term memories,” he said. When the brain is constantly stimulated, “you prevent this learning process.”
