Matt Richtel is a technology reporter for the New York Times whose “Driven to Distraction” series won him a Pulitzer Prize. He was interviewed by Terry Gross on NPR Fresh Air on August 24th. The interview changed my Blackberry behavior. I have started leaving it behind. The interview is worth a listen. Here’s a snippet from the transcript:
Matt said: “When you’re constantly interrupted by email, you are experiencing stress. Stress equals stress hormones. Stress hormones take their toll on the brain. Specifically, cortisol gets released, and that can have an effect on long-term memory production… we’re not sure yet what the cortisol release from heavy technology use does, but over time, heavy cortisol production can reduce your ability to form memories. So if you add up a whole bunch of shots of cortisol, you can create some memory impact.”
Terry Gross: “Wow. So the picture that you’re painting is the more data that we take in, the less we remember, the more stressed we are and the less creative we become.”
In the interview, Matt describes a recent vacation with a group of neurologists who unplugged from technology and immersed themselves in nature to study the changes in their brains. Their conclusion: take an unplugged vacation and stop over-indulging in info-bites. It’s addictive, unhealthy, and counter-productive. I’m going for a walk!
