How technology affects your brain

By Dr Louise Mahler

It appears we’ve outsourced our memory and rely on technology such as Google, Smart Phones, GPS, calendar alerts and calculators to get us through our busy days.  Remembering names, it appears, is something few can now do – I don’t think there’s an app for that!

This made me reflect on how technology is affecting our brains. I did a Google search and found almost 2 million feeds on the topic!

The hard and fast facts from technology experts:

Andi Horvath Media Liaison Officer, Science Communications at the University of Melbourne tells us technology affects:

• our memory
• our attention
• what we focus on and
• sleep cycles

Professor Susan Greenfield says, ‘Unless we wake up to the damage that the gadget-filled, pharmaceutically-enhanced 21st century is doing to our brains, we could be sleepwalking towards a future in which neuro-chip technology blurs the line between living and non-living machines, and between our bodies and the outside world.’

The great news is that your brain will do what you train it to do.

So I recommend going beyond ‘remembering names’ and start training in complimentary directions for a total communication.

Here are my quick tips to remain human-like:

• Start noticing how you breathe when you are talking to others?
• Are you snapping short breaths high and fast?
• Or is the breath flowing easily into the lungs and expanding the area below your ribs?
• Notice what you do when you initiate sound
• Is your jaw snapping open or is it open before you start?
• Is your mouth opening wide enough that you have a gap between your teeth or are they sealed together?
• Is your head jerking in some way as you start to speak?
• Or is your mouth open, your teeth separate and the air flowing (with your head still)?

PS And to remember names:

• Repeat people’s names when you meet them
• Associate their names with someone with whom they share a commonality
• Connect with something about them (Hermann the German)
• Ask people to spell their names for you
• Want to do it

Louise is a communication specialist and a proven performer in moving individuals and groups to take positive action through a unique perspective focusing on the unsung wisdom of voice. For more information please visit www.louisemahler.com.au

 

ETC BusinessLeaders presents Louise Mahler – 26 November

Proudly presented by Slater & Gordon don’t miss Louise at the ETC BusinessLeaders lunch on Thursday 26 November at Novotel Pacific Bay Resort from 12pm to 2pm. For more details and to reserve your seat or call 6648 5400.