Is Google Weakening Your Memory? Or Enhancing Your Curiosity? Or Both?

May 17, 2012 By Mark D. Roberts 1 Comment

In yesterday’s post, I began commenting on a new book: iDisorder: Understanding Our Obsession with Technology and Overcoming Its Hold on Us, by Larry Rosen. Rosen, a professor of psychology, approaches the impact of technology on our lives in light of psychological and brain research. He is mainly concerned with the relationship between digital technology and various sorts of mental dysfunction (narcissism, etc.) But, at one point, Rosen mentions research that suggests the availability of Internet technology does, in effect, weaken our memory:

We have even started to see research showing how our brains have adapted to having so much available information through what researcher Betsy Sparrow of Columbia University calls the “Google Effect.” In a series of four laboratory studies, Professor Sparrow and her colleagues discovered that our constant habit of checking Google for any tidbit of information that strikes our fancy “has trained us to use the Internet as a specialized external memory” (e.g., “What movie did that actress that we just saw star in a few years ago with that guy with the beard?” is a question that can be answered with just a few mouse clicks or smartphone touches). In her studies, Sparrow found that if someone knows they will have future access to information on the Internet or on their computer, they won’t remember information as well as if they are told that it will not be available. But they do recall exactly where to find it quite well, even down to the folder on the computer where the information is stored. (B., Liu, J., & Wegner, D. M. [2011]. Google effects on memory: Cognitive consequences of having information at our fingertips. Science, 333[6043], 776-778.)

Dr. Larry Rosen delivering a lecture. Nice MacBook Pro, Larry! http://drlarryrosen.com/

I’m sure the Google Effect impacts me. Not only will I decide not to memorize certain kinds of information if it is available on Google, but also I will quickly search for information that I might very well be able to dredge up out of my own consciousness if I only allowed my brain to do its work. Thus, I am not exercising my brain in ways I might if Google didn’t exist. (The same is true for phone numbers. I used to know a couple dozen numbers by heart. Now, since they’re all stored in my phone, I don’t bother to memorize them.)

Yet, I’m not convinced that Google is weakening my mental abilities so much as shaping them. Yes, I don’t rely on my memory as I would in a Google-less world. But, I am much, much more curious about all sorts of things because of Google. Several times a day, I will wonder about something and find the answer through Google. (In what movie have I seen Richard Jenkins? What was Sigourney Weaver’s character called in Paul? Which American novels are considered to be the best of all time? Where is Malta Starthistle found in the U.S.? What are the lyrics of the song “The Good Life”? How tall is Chris Hemsworth? What does Larry Rosen look like? All of these are actual questions I have asked recently and answered through Google.)

Google rewards curiosity, because it makes it easy to find answers. In days gone by, it would have taken a trip to the library and some serious use of microfiche to answer many of the questions I just asked. Since I would rarely have the time for such an effort, I wouldn’t bother to seek the answers. As a result, I would be much less curious than I am today.

So, if it’s true that my memory is exercised less because of Google, it is also true that my curiosity is significantly enhanced. And because I am more curious today than I was twenty years ago, I have learned many new things. Moreover, I am more inclined to wonder about things, to ask questions, to think outside of the box. Sure, I wish my memory were stronger. But, all in all, I’m happy to be more curious than to be better at memorizing data.

Filed Under: Technology and Culture, Technology and Mental Health Tagged With: , , , , 1 Comment

Is Digital Technology Making You Crazy?

May 16, 2012 By Mark D. Roberts 2 Comments

Is digital technology making you crazy? Yes, quite possibly, says Dr. Larry Rosen, professor of psychology and author of a new book: iDisorder: Understanding Our Obsession with Technology and Overcoming Its Hold on Us.

I learned about this book from a review in the New York Times: “When You Text Till You Drop,” by Bryan Burrough. Here’s how Burrough gets into the subject:

What about that gent who was talking loudly into his Android phone on the Metro-North train this morning? Was he really that obnoxious before we all went wireless — or did the device somehow change him? And what about all those young people who spend hours upon hours texting and sexting and Facebooking? What kinds of adults will they become?

Is the casual anonymity of Internet discussion turning us into boors? What did we once do with all the hours we now spend obsessively checking e-mail and texts? Smoke?

Larry D. Rosen, a California psychologist, is less concerned with techno-boorishness than with the very real possibility that all these new personal gadgets may be making some of us mentally ill — especially those who are prone to narcissism, for example, or to depression or obsessive-compulsive disorder.

In “iDisorder: Understanding Our Obsession With Technology and Overcoming Its Hold on Us” (Palgrave Macmillan), Dr. Rosen surveys the existing research, throws in a bit of his own and suggests ways that users of new technologies can avoid behavioral pitfalls.

My first reaction to this description was negative. “Oh no,” I thought, one more book on the dangers of technology, one more inane effort to get us to stop using our computers and smartphones. But, according to Burrough, Rosen is not anti-technology or unrealistic about its use:

One strength of “iDisorder” is Dr. Rosen’s cleareyed view of technology and its uses. He doesn’t oppose it. In fact, his view is quite the opposite. What we need, he says, is a sense of restorative balance and self-awareness. It is unavoidable that many of us will fall prey to an iDisorder, he says, but “it is not fatal and we are not doomed to spend time in a mental institution or a rehab center.”

So how does Rosen present evidence for his thesis about iDisorders?

The book’s chapters focus on mental health challenges linked to heavy technology use. They include how social media sites may spawn narcissism (no surprise there) and how constantly checking our wireless mobile devices (he calls them W.M.D.’s, a great acronym) can lead to obsessive-compulsive disorder. Others look at how technology addiction can lead to attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, and at how all that medical data available online has created a class of people known as “cyberchondriacs.” Perhaps most interesting of all, Dr. Rosen examines how the constant use of technology may be rewiring our brains.

Burrough’s description of iDisorder rewired my brain, from an initial negativity about the book to a desire to read it. According to my Kindle, I’m now 7% into the book. I am finding it engaging, at least worth another 7% of reading. Rosen, though an academic, is an able writer. Plus, he promises to offer practical helps for those of us who may be developing an iDisorder. I figure the odds are pretty great that I fall into this category. Here is one suggestion highlighted by Burrough:

For those combating some form of techno-addiction, Dr. Rosen advises regularly stepping away from the computer for a few minutes and connecting with nature; just standing in your driveway and staring at the bushes, research shows, has a way of resetting our brains.

Now that sounds like a good idea . . . .

Filed Under: Technology and Culture, Technology and Mental Health Tagged With: , , , , 2 Comments

Mother’s Day and Churchgoing: Good News and Bad News

May 14, 2012 By Mark D. Roberts 3 Comments

The good news: Mother’s Day is a big church attendance day, ranking in the top three (along with Christmas and Easter).

The bad news: Father’s Day is a low attendance day, ranking at the bottom of the churchgoing chart.

This news, both good and bad, comes from a recent survey conducted by LifeWay Research. Lifeway asked 1,000 Protestant pastors which special days of the year brought the most people to church. No surprise that Easter and Christmas took the top spots. But Mother’s Day came in number three.

Why is Mother’s Day such a popular churchgoing day? Scott McConnell, director of LifeWay Research, observes that “mothers want to be present for the affirmation that is typically offered in most churches, but families also are present knowing their attendance will honor their mother. Many families make church attendance on Mother’s Day nearly obligatory.”

McConnell may be right, but I think he misses a major factor: mothers want to go to church with their families, especially their children, on Mother’s Day. Actually, most Christian mothers would like to go to church with their families every Sunday. But on Mother’s Day they have extra clout, even among family members who would rather skip church.

But what about Father’s Day? Why doesn’t it draw the crowds to church? McConnell weighs in on this: “The attendance difference between Mother’s Day and Father’s Day is telling. . . . Either churches are less effective in affirming fathers, or families believe Christian fathers don’t value their participation in worship services.” What McConnell fails to state is that families might believe fathers don’t value their participation in worship services because, in fact, many fathers don’t value going to church.

In a USA Today article, Ed Stetzer, president of LifeWay, puts it more bluntly: “It seems that on Mother’s Day, moms say, ‘Let’s all go to church.’ But on Father’s Day, dads say, ‘I’m going to go play golf.’” I expect Stetzer is on to something here.

David Murrow, author of Why Men Hate Going to Church, believes that churches are to blame for the tendency among fathers to skip worship on their special day. According to Murrow, on Mother’s Day “pastors tend to gush over women in their sermons. . . . But on Father’s Day, men get a ‘straighten up’ lecture: ‘Dad, get right with God, reconcile with your kids,’ etc.” I’m not sure Murrow is always right. But, to the extent that he is, I have an explanation. Pastors are blasting away at fathers because they are guilty about their own failures as fathers. They are saying to the fathers in the pews what they need to say to themselves.

Nevertheless, I fear that the main reason Mother’s Day is a big church attendance day and Father’s Day lags behind has to do with far more than what happens on these two special Sundays. In general, men are much less involved in church than women, fathers much less than mothers. Given the high correlation between churchgoing fathers and children who end up as faithful disciples of Jesus, this should be a major concern. I’m not suggesting that we all start pummeling fathers who don’t go to church regularly. But I am suggesting that we need to give this some serious thought. David Murrow, in Why Men Hate Going to Church, has some ideas about this. I wonder what you think. Why are men less inclined to attend worship services? Why is this true even among men who are believing Christians?

Filed Under: Church Life Tagged With: , , , , 3 Comments

Does God Care About Mother’s Day? Inspiration from The High Calling

May 13, 2012 By Mark D. Roberts Leave a Comment

Does God Care About Mother’s Day?

Psalm 128:6

May you live to enjoy your grandchildren.
May Israel have peace!

Today is Mother’s Day in the United States. This means that many of us will get together with our mothers to celebrate their lives and thank them for their faithfulness. Those of us who can’t be with our mothers will probably call on the phone. Did you know more people are on the phone on Mother’s Day than on any other day of the year? In addition to thanking our mothers, taking them out for a meal, and giving them a card, many of us will also go to church with them. Mother’s Day has higher church attendance than just about any other Sunday of the year. Some surveys place it right behind Christmas and Easter.

Many churches make a big deal of Mother’s Day. But some churches studiously ignore it. When I first began as Senior Pastor of Irvine Presbyterian Church, our tradition was to say almost nothing about Mother’s Day, because “it’s not a Christian holiday.” Indeed, it doesn’t show up in the liturgical calendar, which is still focusing on the celebration of Easter. But, beyond this fact, my church seemed to assume that paying attention to mothers wasn’t really spiritual enough for worship.

But then there are biblical passages like Psalm 128. Though it is actually more of a Father’s Day psalm, this text celebrates the blessing of family, in which mothering is central. The final verse adds this wish prayer: “May you live to enjoy your grandchildren” (128:6; the Hebrew reads literally, “May you see your children’s children”).

Psalm 128, like the whole of Scripture, doesn’t divide life up into the spiritual and unspiritual parts. All of life is a result of God’s good creation. All of life matters to God and should matter to us. All of life’s goodness is worthy of celebration, as we thank God for his manifold gifts. So, it’s appropriate for God’s people to celebrate mothers when they gather for worship, to offer thanks and prayers.

I made it clear to the worship planners at Irvine Pres that I intended to focus my pastoral prayer that morning around the themes of Mother’s Day. I offered thanks for mothers and prayed for them. Recognizing that some in our congregation yearned to be mothers but hadn’t been able to have children, I prayed for them. I also added prayers for mothers who grieved the loss of their children, for mother-child relationships that were strained, and for those whose mothers had gone to be with the Lord.

Does God care about Mother’s Day? I can’t speak with certainty about how God regards our particular national holiday and its expressions. But, on the basis of biblical texts like Psalm 128, we can be sure that God cares about mothers and children. He values marriage and family. He wants to bless us in our families. Thus, it is right to thank him for the gift of family, including our mothers. And it is always right to pray for mothers!

QUESTIONS FOR FURTHER REFLECTION: In what ways have you experienced God’s blessings in your family? Do you tend to think of your family as central to God’s presence and work in your life?

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, thank you for the reminders of Psalm 128. Thank you for the blessing of family, and for the many gifts you give us through our families.

Today, we thank you for mothers. Thank you for those who gave birth to us and who raised us. Thank you for their sacrifice, patience, and love. Thank you for ways our mothers helped us to see something of your love through their lives.

We pray for mothers today, that you would bless them with all they need to fulfill the calling you have given them. Give them wisdom, strength, and vision. Fill them with your love and goodness. We pray especially for those who are struggling to be faithful mothers, that you will give them an extra measure of your grace today.

We also pray for those for whom this is a difficult day: for children who have lost their mothers, for mothers who have lost children, for mothers and children who are estranged from each other, for those who would like to be mothers but are not, for those whose memories of their mothers are painful, and for so many others. May those who hurt today know that you are with them in their pain. Heal their hearts and give them hope, Lord. Wrap them up in your arms of love.

All praise be to you, O God, for the blessings you pour out upon us. Amen.

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This devotional comes from The High Calling: Everyday Conversations about Work, Life, and God (www.thehighcalling.org). You can read my Daily Reflections there, or sign up to have them sent to your email inbox each day. This website contains lots of encouragement for people who are trying to live out their faith in the workplace. The High Calling is associated with Laity Lodge, where I work.

Filed Under: Holidays, Inspiration from the High Calling Tagged With: , Leave a Comment
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