"E-mails 'hurt IQ more than pot'"

[Vicky]

That's what a London study indicated. I came across this article through another class and thought it would be an interesting topic of conversation in this one.

The article reveals some striking statistics. What do you guys think? The article can be viewed at http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/europe/04/22/text.iq

[Jessica]

I completely agree with this article! Everything it talks about is so true. For an everyday example, have you ever been having a conversation with someone who gets a text message? They immediately look at the text and stop whatever they were saying. Getting a text message breaks up a person's train of thought and leaves the thought to wonder in their head. It's no wonder that a person has a lower IQ when they are constantly interupted by messages and phone calls. How can a person think straight if they do not even get a second to do so!

[Tim]

I know! At work people will completely cut me off to read their precious e-mails. Almost as if the President just sent them the nuclear codes. I found the article very intriguing. Marijuana doesn't actually destroy long-term memory--just short term memory when you're high. When the high wears off, you're mental capacity is right back where it was. Plus, THC merely "tickles" receptors in your brains. No long term damage.

It'd almost as if e-mails and instant messages cause ADD. The more distracted you become from AIM, cell phones, etc, the more prone you are to forget stuff. Marijuana wins!

[Bryce Urbany]

I'm pretty sure pot has more THC than e-mail. If these people have a problem of getting their work done because they spend too much time checking their e-mails then this is an entirely different problem than a lower IQ, it's just being distracted. They should learn to balance out their work loads and limit their messaging. If their job requires them to keep in contact with people through the internet, then checking e-mail should only be done during their work hours and shouldn't keep them up all hours of the night.

[Vicky]

I’m kind of split here. On one hand, these people could just be distracted and unable to manage their time efficiently. Though I’m not sure if the IQ drop was temporary while at work or lowered altogether. But on the other hand, as was said on the article, “‘This is a very real and widespread phenomenon…We have found that this obsession with looking at messages, if unchecked, will damage a worker's performance by reducing their mental sharpness.’”

I know that every time I’ve gone on a vacation in recent years, particularly on cruises where there is no cell phone service in the middle of the ocean and internet access must be paid for, I felt at unease knowing that I couldn’t read my texts, e-mails, Facebook comments or listen to my voicemails. I almost felt that I had lost connection with the outside world even though I was on a ship with thousands of people. When my cell phone broke due to water damage, I freaked out when I had to go a day without it.

Now, this is a different situation than being email obsessed at work but I can understand its effect on people because the speed and frequency of communication has drastically increased and it is embedded in our minds to constantly keep up with it.

“‘The research suggests that we are in danger of being caught up in a 24-hour 'always on' society,’ said David Smith of Hewlett Packard.” And I think that’s completely true. E-mails may be a distraction at work but they may also be a requirement in the workplace. You might be an advertising agency who is constantly communicating with business contacts, mainly via e-mail because it is the most fast and convenient way of communication. You might be bombarded with so many emails that you’re forced to answer some when you get home just so that you aren’t behind when you start your workday tomorrow.

You may own an international business and need to keep in touch with clients overseas. For them it may be early afternoon and for us it may be 3 a.m. E-mail has eased means of communicating in such situations, even if it may keep us up at night, decrease our ability to concentrate and enforce rude manners as a societal norm.

[Ed Blackford]

I agree with Bryce. E-mails, text msgs, and AIM don't really hurt your IQ, they are just a distraction. I have also learned to deal with when people get texts when you are talking to them and they check them. Maybe it is even helping people to learn how to multi-task more. Just Kidding. But really I dont mind when people check their phone when I am talking to them. It is annoying though when they start talking on the phone and keep the conversation on the phone going. Unless it is an important phone call, let it go.