In a world where people are constantly on the Internet, whether on computers or smart phones, online hyperactivity has become a norm. A recent study by Dr. Lee Hadlington, of the De Montfort University of Leicester, has found that the more times a person uses the Internet or their mobile phone, the more likely they are to experience "cognitive failures."
Titled "Cognitive failures in daily life: Exploring the Link with Internet Addiction and Problematic Mobile Phone Use," the research showed that people who easily get lost in Internet "browsing loops" are more predisposed to what Hadlington calls cognitive failures, according to Sputnik News.
The study was conducted among 107 men and 103 women between the ages of 18 and 65 who spent an average of 22.95 hours per week online.
"This is a very under-examined area and a very important one. We are using technology on a daily basis but we don't understand its effect on us," Hadlington said according to The Independent.
During the study, people were asked a series of questions to determine whether they experienced certain types of "blunders" - defined as factors relating to their ability to focus, or physical blunders such as bumping into things, and effects on memory. "We don't know what's actually happening to our cognition when we are using this technology and that's the important thing. What we do know from this research is that there are some statistically significant numbers of people who say they use the Internet or their phone a lot and who experience cognitive failures," Hadlington said, reports The Belfast Telegraph.
What is still not clear at this stage is whether digitally active people are more distracted because of their excessive online activity, or because they naturally have short "attentional control."
