Google and other search engines are changing the way human memory works, according to a new study. These search engines give us every day thousands of solutions and facilitate various problems on a daily basis.
The survey, which is the first to examine the influence of search engines on human memory, was conducted by psychologists of Columbia and Harvard Universities together with the University of Wisconsin. The results found indicate that the way with which our brain saves the various data has altered significantly because of the certainty that some of the problems and issues will be found and answered on-line.
According to experts the Internet has now developed into a dominant form of what psychology calls "transitional memory"; memories that are out of our minds but we know where and how we can access them. Previously this was found in experts or in books in our local libraries. Today internet has taken over, showing its vivid presence in our modern daily life.
As shown from this survey, we all demonstrate a tendency to forget the things we are sure we can find on the internet while trying to remember those that we know that we cannot find on-line. We also remember where we can find the information needed instead of remembering the actual information. Does this mean that we are getting dumber or substandard or that we rely on the internet too much, is a matter for another research.
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