They're Changing Your Brain: The Unintended Consequences of Our Machines

Read my continuing a series on our increasing attachment to smartphones.

I’m working on a longer piece, a piece on the unintended consequences of our relationship with technology. (Look for it in my Newsletter on March 1.) To be clear, I’m not some Skyfall Chicken Little, but research is beginning to catch up with the neurological effects of modernity’s endless tryst with innovation. Particularly, smartphone innovation and the resulting addiction. In an article published by the Daily Mail yesterday, it was reported:

German researchers examined 48 participants using the MRI images — 22 with smartphone addiction and 26 non-addicts. 

Writing in the study, published in the journal Addictive Behaviors, the researchers write: “Compared to controls, individuals with smartphone addiction showed lower gray matter volume in left anterior insula, inferior temporal and parahippocampal cortex.”

Decreased grey matter in one of these regions, the insula, has previously been linked to substance addiction. 

What does the region of the brain known as the insulae do? In a piece for the New York Times, Sandra Blakeslee writes:

“[Neurologists] say it is the wellspring of social emotions, things like lust and disgust, pride and humiliation, guilt and atonement. It helps give rise to moral intuition, empathy and the capacity to respond emotionally to music.

If this is the case, perhaps our collective decrease in insula gray matter explains society’s current lack of empathy, our incessant online bickering, our inability to point to the beauty in the world around us. And yes, this sounds like a conclusory statement, but spend ten minutes on Twitter. Is it too far-fetched a conclusion?

Life Examined: Do a Little Research

  1. Today, make your way to Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram. (Yes, I know what I’m asking you to do.)

  2. How long does it take to find a post that fires you up, makes you angry, or causes you to feel depressed or lonely? Less than three minutes?

  3. Ask yourself whether the resulting emotions are worth the time you spend on the platform.

Grab a Copy and Wake Up

THE BOOK OF WAKING UP —a book on addiction, attachment, and the Divine Love—launched TUESDAY so order a copy or ten at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookish (my favorite indie bookseller). Then, forward this post to a friend and ask them to read along.