(NewsNation) — Human memory has always been far from perfect, but some experts are worried that our smartphones are causing something called “digital amnesia.”
It’s an idea that relying on a smartphone, such as needing it to find out way via GPS, is changing the way our memories actually work. However, Daniel Schacter, a professor of psychology at Harvard University and author of “The Seven Sins of Memory,” says there isn’t strong evidence to back this up.
“When we look at at all the studies that have been done, I think that there’s clearly evidence for a negative effect in some respects,” Schacter said during an appearance Tuesday night on NewsNation’s “Banfield.” “For example, if we rely on GPS, there’s good evidence to show that we’re gonna have a less-full memory of the route that we just traveled than if we navigate ourselves.”
Schacter says there is evidence, however, that people who engage in “medium-multitasking,” which is using a smartphone while trying to complete another task, may have a worse memory than someone who is focusing fully on a task.
If we’re constantly being distracted in various ways, our memory of a particular event will be less clear, according to Schacter.
If you want to improve your memory, Schacter suggests reducing the number of distractions around you.