ARE YOU SMARTER THAN YOUR PHONE?

I had my old Volvo inspected because of a “check engine” light at my ultra-honest Volvo technicians. They used to be the mechanics for an old dealership that was taken over and moved thirty miles south and chose not to go south but to stay and set up a business for Volvos and other foreign and even domestic cars. They are that rare species of conscientious honest and proficient artisans who give you expert work at reasonable prices. In fact, on some minor items, they don’t even charge me.


That’s not the purpose of this blog, but it is good to give credit when due and acknowledge quality workmanship and professionalism in these shoddy times.

While waiting for the car, I randomly picked up a magazine and found an intriguing article by a journalist named Jeff Wise called “Mental Outsourcing”. Let me quote from Jeff Wise. Referring to our reliance on cellphones and G.P.S. systems, he says:

“The dumbing down…(depending on these devices totally) is just one example of a trend that’s affecting almost every aspect of out cognitive life. I call it mental outsourcing. More and more we’re using technology, especially smartphones as auxiliary brains, delegating to them mental functions---such as memory, sense of direction and problem solving---that we used to do routinely ourselves.”

This sums up very nicely a feeling I’ve had, almost inchoate and unsaid, about the technological revolution we are undergoing. It is an exciting and fascinating world. Look at the information available today compared to, say, twenty-five years ago; hell, for that matter, in the time I’ve been retired since 1995. Here I am, an old man, and I love the computer, the internet, all things I.T., although I am light years away from being a techie. (I guess I’m some kind of old geek.)

But I think Wise has touched a nerve in that we are becoming too dependent on our new wizardry and becoming mentally lazy. I still do crossword puzzles first thing in the morning over my coffee. Why? Because it starts the engine of my mind and challenges me., plus I love words. I like to do some arithmetic in my head. Why? Because I’m good at it, and it keeps those grey cells pulsating. I even sometimes look at maps and work out where I'm going. Why? To see if I can still do it.

Wise even points out that recent scientific studies are demonstrating some correlation between dependence on our devices and the diminishing of our cognitive skills. For example, people depending solely on a G.P.S. device instead of mapping out where they would like to go showed “cognitive decline and even the early onset of dementia” in some cases. Another one that got me: multitaskers who phone or text while driving “function as though at an alcohol level of .08, the equivalent of being legally drunk”.

So, let’s have our technological marvels like smartphones, computers and G.P.S. systems, but use them wisely. Just, every so often, do some mental exercises to keep the brain---after all, it’s part of the body---fit. Even my phone could agree: that’s really smart.