Forgetful.. technology ruins our memory
BY EMMA ELSWORTHY reporters@dailyrecord.co.uk THE average Brit forgets at least five essential things every day – thanks to technology.
Many of us are unable to remember passwords, phone numbers of family and friends and even how to spell certain words because we rely on gadgets to do it for us.
Other things commonly lost due to our reliance on technology include neat writing and how to carry out basic calculations like division and multiplication.
Technology was also cited as the reason for respondents forgetting good friends’ addresses, the stars of favourite movies and TV programmes, and even how to relax. Some 13 per cent of 2000 adults polled didn’t even know their own phone number.
The research was carried out by working animal charity SPANA. Daniel C Richardson, professor of experimental psychology at UCL, said: “Technology has transformed how we store and access knowledge.
“How many of your friends’ and family’s phone numbers do you know?
“If you had asked that question 20 years ago, most people would have been able to reel off a string of numbers. But today, most people rely on devices and the Cloud to store, sync and deliver numbers to them.”
The research revealed adults find it more and more difficult to remember things like their bank account details, how to set the time on the clock in the car or what time a TV show is on.
We also forget how to navigate basic routes and rely on the sat nav to do it for us. Many use the computer so often we forget how to write properly, how to post a letter or how to pronounce something.