Endless Messaging Rots Brain Worse Than Pot, Study Finds (SF Chronicle)

[chlamor]

E-mail addles the mind
Endless messaging rots brain worse than pot, study finds

Benjamin Pimentel, Chronicle Staff Writer

Wednesday, May 4, 2005
 
What's more harmful -- taking a hit or hitting the send button?

A study commissioned by Hewlett-Packard has found that excessive day-to- day use of technology -- whether it's sending e-mails or using mobile phones -- can be more distracting and harmful to the IQ than smoking marijuana.

The research conducted for HP by scientists from the Institute of Psychiatry at the University of London warns of the "abuse of always-on technology" in which "workers are literally addicted to checking e-mail and text messages during meetings, in the evening and at weekends."

<snip>

"This is a very real and widespread phenomenon," psychologist Glenn Wilson said in a statement. "We have found info-mania, if unchecked, will damage (workers') performance by reducing their mental sharpness."

<snip>

But the study said "an average worker's functioning IQ falls 10 points when distracted by ringing telephones and incoming e-mails ... more than double the four-point drop seen following studies on the impact of smoking marijuana."

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2005/05/04/BUGOSCJGA41.DTL

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

1. Good..then cancel all those pee tests...all you big corporations

you're fucking with your own productivity

[MindPilot]

2. for some reason, my boss thought it was ironic

that I texted that article to his Blackberry.

[Sequoia]

3. Perhaps he wanted you to share some weed

instead.

[xchrom]

5. really? i don't get it? -- hit send.

[merh]

4. I'm sorry, I can't seem to keep my mind on the article.

Can some one tell me what it means. I just can't seem to get through it . . . too many distractions. :freak:

[Robeysays]

6. well there goes my genaration, humanity was ok while it lasted.

[AndyTiedye]

7. If You Do Both at Once, They Cancel Each Other Out

[frustrated_lefty]

8. Have to wonder if the study included all those imbeciles

who have cell phones superglued to the sides of their heads. I would expect that to cause at least a 40 point reduction in functioning IQ.

[Griffy]

9. Gee.. maybe the drug war is about controling people....

and helping drug companies control what chemicals we can and cant take. The Drug laws are a tool used mostly against the poor, minorities and undesirables (liberals?).

[UCLA Dem]

10. It seems a very strange comparison to me. Pot and email??

:shrug:

[hollowdweller]

19. I've always felt computering is like being stoned.

[Dragonfly]

22. Anything that wayward people want to

do to demonize what I have come to consider a multi-antidotal substance (used judiciously) will continue to make it's way before our beseiged eyes.

Check out Dr. Lester Grinspoon's "marijuana-uses" site online to see what he, Carl Sagan and others have had to say about the sacred herb's spiritual properties.

[hippiechick]

11. Given the level of discourse on most chat boards ...

I'd have to agree.

[arcos]

12. Since when does pot causes the brain to rot?

Talk about a stupid headline...

:wtf:

[Massacure]

15. The researchers must even use technology too much!

But if their brains are rotted, then what do we do? Do we accept the results, or not accept them because of brain rot. My my, what a paradox! I can't think, oh no, oh god, oh the humanity!!!

:P

[jayfish]

25. Yeah, And WTF Is HP...

doing studing the effects of pot in the first place?

Jay

[soleft]

13. So what about all the potheads sitting in front of their computer?

Is there no hope

:shrug:

[Megahurtz]

14. Hahahahahahahahaha!!!

:rofl:
I guess we're all pretty fucked up then!

[proud2BlibKansan]

16. What if you smoke pot while text messaging?

Are you doomed to a life of stupidity?

[uppityperson]

17. Huh? need some munchies

maybe some alphabet soup

[WestMichRad]

18. ROLF

:rofl:

Hit send AGAIN, dude!

(and I thought it was the good weed that was giving me the giggles!)

[NoMoreMrNiceGuy]

20. Pot is harmless....completely

Anybody who says otherwise has fallen for conservative propaganda. I've smoked pot practically everyday for over 30 years ... I will challenge anyone here to an IQ test, a memory test, or how about a good old fashioned game of chess....whatever the test you want I will beat over 95% of the people....POT IS HARMLESS...if ya don't believe me how about Gonzo...did he seem like his mental capacity had deteriorated that is before his death? And he did alot more drugs than I ever did....don't listen to the so called experts...they been proven wrong over and over again in any field ya want to talk about...people will tell ya anything...think for yourself.

[dbt]

21. Like we didn't already know this?

"Multi-tasking" is a polite term for fucking up several things at the same time.

:smoke:

[magellan]

23. This is an old wive's tale

Oops -- sorry, I thought that headline was "Endless MAssaging Rots Brain Worse Than Pot".

[leesa]

24. So this idiotic presumption that "pot rots brains" comes from where?

[Gyre]

26. Nice they used pot as the benchmark. (little plug for alcohol indus)

They should've used a TELEVISION!!! Like amerikkkans are using that shit between their ears for anything anyways.

Gyre

[chlamor]

27. Stick Closer

to church oriented social activities.

Marijuana will spoil the mind, you will begin to think of pretty flowers rather than asphalt, your mind will begin to carry unproductive and inefficient thoughts, your dreams will dance with colors and magic-we cannot have that.

The ever busy bees and industrious ants have set an example for us all-it is not a good one.

[Dora]

28. Wasn't there just an article in NYT saying the opposite?

In just this last month I read an article saying the exact opposite was true - that all this technology is making us smarter. It smelled fishy to me.

Of course, the article didn't mention anything about that devil weed.