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'Infomania' worse than
marijuana
April 22, 2005
Workers
distracted by email and phone calls suffer a fall in IQ more
than twice that found in marijuana smokers, new research has
claimed. The study for computing firm Hewlett Packard warned of
a rise in "infomania", with people becoming addicted to email
and text messages.
Researchers found
62% of people checked work messages at home or on holiday.
The firm said new
technology can help productivity, but users must learn to switch
computers and phones off.
Losing sleep
The study, carried
out at the Institute of Psychiatry, found excessive use of
technology reduced workers' intelligence.
Those distracted
by incoming email and phone calls saw a 10-point fall in their
IQ - more than twice that found in studies of the impact of
smoking marijuana, said researchers.
More than half of
the 1,100 respondents said they always responded to an email
"immediately" or as soon as possible, with 21% admitting they
would interrupt a meeting to do so.
The University of
London psychologist who carried out the study, Dr Glenn Wilson,
told the Daily Mail that unchecked infomania could reduce
workers' mental sharpness.
Those who are
constantly breaking away from tasks to react to email or text
messages suffer similar effects on the mind as losing a night's
sleep, he said.
BBC News
Stephanie Thompson's comments:
I presume
that the "IQ drop" that the article refers to is an IQ effect -
i.e. A temporary drop rather than a permanent affliction. Or,
perhaps people who work smarter are, well, smarter...
Other
research shows that workers who focus on one thing at a time (leaving
email and phone messages to build up to be dealt with later) get things
done much more quickly and efficiently. Sounds obvious? Yes,
but our current era of email and daily information overload has
distracted us from the obvious...
One problem
with the influx of rapid-fire 'information bites' is that your brain
needs a few moments to shift gear to deal with each item - to leave one
topic and acquaint itself with another. This happens every time
you go in or out of a topic - you need a minute or two to readjust and
continue where you left off. This uses up a surprising amount of
brain resources - your personal hard drive space.
It is also
inherently stressful because it is, by most estimates, all but
impossible to respond to every email and piece of
information that comes your way in a complete and timely manner.
It can't be done, but diligent workers feel as though it ought to be.
Consequently they beat themselves up and try harder - which generates
more and more feedback and overload - rather than recognising that the
problem lies substantially with the system.
I believe
that the current 'information overload' of most office workers, largely
due to the internet, is a very underestimated problem. The
rush-rush-rush mentality is also symptomatic of a broader problem with
the unhealthy work cultures of countries like the USA, UK, Australia and
parts of North Asia.
Many other
cultures - the majority of human kind, in fact - find this all rather
zany. They are right!
(Want a cure?
Try the Stress Inoculation course.)
