The Effects of Too Much Information on the Brain
- Christin Reed
- Oct 30, 2021
- 3 min read
Your phone lights up as you see an email notification arrive on your home screen. One email won't hurt you. It's super important anyways.
As you check your email, you receive your first text of the day. It's only 8:30 am. You answer, because well, you're awake.
You read the text, discovering it's from your friend who desperately wants you to check that post she sent you on Instagram.
I think you know where this is going.
Day in and day out, our brains are overloaded with information. Some of that information may be light and innocent, and others might be dark and disturbing. We’re flooded with good and bad information from the moment our eyes open in the morning, and the amount this generation consumes is unprecedented in comparison to previous generations.
So how is affecting us?
1. Constant Interruption & Distraction
Think about it. When you’re focused on something and you hear your phone ring, your instinct is to reach for your phone to check that notification. It’s addicting. In fact, in a 2005 study done by Dr. Glenn Wilson, he found that those who stopped what they were doing to check a notification, such as an email, saw about a 10 point drop in their IQ. Studies show that this 10 point drop is more significant than those affected by the use of drugs such as marijuana.
In another study, 221 participants were instructed to turn on all of their notifications for a week, maximizing their phone interruptions. The next week, they were instructed to then silence their phone notifications. The first week, participants reported symptoms such as lower productivity, inattention, hyperactivity, and overall lower psychological well-being. These symptoms mirror those with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, even in participants without a previous diagnosis.
2. Negatively Impacted Decision Making
When you’re presented with too much information, you might naturally begin to feel stressed or anxious. I think we are all familiar with this feeling, and it’s not a good one. It might lead us to feel angry or frustrated, and it’s known that not many good decisions arise out of these emotions. But why?
The part of your brain that is responsible for decision-making is the prefrontal cortex. The prefrontal cortex is also responsible for controlling emotional responses to stress and anxiety from your amygdala. Individuals with disorders such as generalized anxiety disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder have an overactive prefrontal cortex, making it more difficult for your brain to regulate reactions due to external stressors.
In a recent study done by the University of California Berkeley and the University of Oxford, a team of scientists analyzed how those with anxiety had difficulty making good decisions in environments where their anxiety was heightened. When you’re experiencing feelings of high stress, anxiety, or anger you are less likely to pick up on important social cues from you’re surrounding environment. This could inhibit your ability to make good and accurate decisions. Social media, texts, and emails add another factor of information for your brain to process before making a decision.
3. Chronic Stress
In light of recent years, we are all experiencing stress at an all-time high. In the palms of our hands, we hold breaking news, a gateway into other people’s thoughts and emotions, and it’s not a mystery that that is what is causing this exponential spike in anxiety and depression.
If we aren’t properly taught how to express and manage our own emotions, what makes us think we are capable of handling everyone else’s? Without us even consciously knowing, we are carrying what feels like the weight of the world on our shoulders, and I think this goes without saying, but we are definitely not meant to.
According to the American Institute of Stress, 73% of people experience stress that affects their mental health, and 77% of people experience stress that affects their physical health.
Stress takes a huge toll on the brain. It shrinks the size of the hippocampus, affecting our long-term memory. This means our brains begin to have a harder time holding onto memories.
Stress even affects the immune system. When we’re stressed, our body has a more difficult time fighting off antigens and viruses. Meaning, when we don’t know how to properly manage our stress, we are so much more likely to get sick.
So, next time you’re feeling stressed or anxious, pay attention to how much unnecessary information you are feeding your brain. Replace mindless scrolling with exercise, time with friends, or reading a good book. And remember, the world will keep on spinning whether or not you are up to date on the current news.
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