----- Original Message ----- From: "Wojtek Sokolowski" <sokol at jhu.edu>
[WS:] It looks like another 'solomonic wisdom' of oh so fucking brave digital age going down the drain.
And while we are at this, here is another 'pedestrian' truth (you do not have to listen, Ian) - the time spent on managing electronic gizmos that keep the wiz-kids connected to fifty seven 'cool' places at the same time is the time not spent at honing the social skills of interacting with other people, which according to psychology 101 is a far greater predictor of success than IQ. But hey, it is better to be fucked up than uncool in this new brave world.
============================= [As if you never enjoyed getting fucked up Woj? Why aren't you a cheerleader for non-pharmaceutical methods of stupefication? What are you going to do when the distinction between computers and drugs goes the way of the dodo bird?]
http://news.independent.co.uk/business/sme/article222722.ece
Ring tones and e-mails may reduce workers' IQ Published: 22 May 2005 At this time of an "open all hours " business culture, much is made of how technology increases productivity by enabling workers to be constantly accessible and to work any time anywhere. And yet research from one of the world's leading information technology companies suggests that the advantages of e-mail and related technology can be overstated.
In fact, far from making workers more productive, constantly checking emails and text messages during meetings in the evening and at weekends can significantly diminish employees' IQ, according to a study commissioned on behalf of Hewlett Packard, the supplier of computers, printers and related products and services.
Dr Glenn Wilson, reader in personality at London University's Institute of Psychiatry, carried out a series of tests earlier this year that found that an average worker's functioning IQ falls 10 points when distracted by ringing telephones and incoming e-mails. This drop is equal to the effect of missing an entire night's sleep and more than twice the fall associated with marijuana use.
Dr Wilson, a psychologist, said that "Info-Mania", where workers were literally addicted to checking e-mails and text messages at all times, was "a real and widespread phenomenon". If unchecked, he added, it could damage workers' performance by reducing their mental sharpness. "Companies should encourage a more balanced and appropriate way of working," he said.
David Smith, commercial communications manager at HP UK and Ireland, said HP strongly advocated the use of technology to improve productivity but it encouraged individuals to use it appropriately. Among its steps was to urge employees to turn off mobile phones and other comminications devices during meetings, so removing the urge to check messages, which might in turn distract them from the job in hand.