By: Matthew Juber
Ever find yourself wishing you could remember exactly what happened during a specific event? Now with new “digital diaries” it might be much more plausible. But what effect does this have on the brain? Would having computers remember everything for us mean our brain wouldn’t get enough use and start to deteriorate?
Psychologists are unsure of what to think as of yet, because research has been minimal. The general consensus seems to suggest that it most likely won’t impact our minds as long as we continue to use our brains for “something else” rather than “remembering things.” If this is the case, digital diaries could actually prove to be more helpful then originally planned.
These “digital diaries” could possibly have a positive impact on our brains. By allowing us to focus on other forms of information, we could use our considerable brainpower for something new: a new direction in thinking. An associate professor at Darmouth College, David Bucci, told CNN, “Using computers to outsource many mental tasks isn’t necessarily bad as long as the brain is being stimulated in other ways.” So all we need to do is keep ourselves thinking, and we won’t have to worry about our brains leaking out our ears. However this doesn’t mean we won’t remember events though. The hippocampus, the part of the brain that deals with memories, will still function, and can’t ever be replaced. Human beings would never be able to function “normally” without our working memory, because even with the aid of computers, we’d still have to remember them too.
The bottom line to all of this is, however, that there hasn’t been enough research to determine one way or another if there will be any adverse effects to the human brain. In the short term though, don’t think that taking at pictures to remember an occasion is a bad idea, you’ll still have your brain in one piece.
