Time Management

Last Chance

September 01, 2010

 

With the end of summer quickly approaching, many view the upcoming Labor Day weekend as their last chance to put laptops and smart phones aside and grab a little rest and relaxation. However, some recent studies suggest that we might be better served by taking more breaks away from the incessant call of technology.
 
Last week, New York Times reporter Matt Richter referenced two studies in his article, “Digital Devices Deprive Brain of Needed Downtime” (NYT, 08/24/10). According to the author, the studies suggest that the non-stop multi-tasking our smart phones promote may actually be harmful. It taxes our brains. In contrast, time away from technology gives us the opportunity to learn and remember information and to create new ideas.
 
The studies include one from the University of California San Francisco. In it scientists concluded that rats’ brains show patterns of new activity upon encountering new experiences. However, the animals are able to create a persistent memory only after they had an opportunity to process patterns. From this researchers have concluded that humans may require a certain amount of downtime to take a new experience, solidify it, and convert it into a long-term memory. The second study hails from the University of Michigan, where researchers found that people learn better after a walk in nature than after a walk in an urban jungle. Their conclusion: The constant need to process information fatigues the human brain.
 
With the latest science in mind, take the waning hours of summer and turn off all the technology that surrounds you. Go outside and take a walk. Leave your smart phone behind. It may be the best thing you can do for your brain.

 




 



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