Face time

We don’t really need to remember that much anymore, as it’s all immediately accessible to us at the touch of a button (do you know your partner’s mobile number?). But, if challenged, the sorry state of our memories becomes painfully clear.

Studies have revealed that the average brain can hold seven or eight objects in its short-term memory for about 20 seconds, but a brain under stress (ie one which is trying to process a colleague’s Facebook holiday photos, an article they’ve just read on Jezebel and 30 unopened emails) struggles with half that. This is because stress has been proven to break down the neurological ‘loops’ that hold short-term memory together. Like a chalkboard, the neurons in our prefrontal cortex (our short-term memory centre) can be written with information, erased when that information is no longer needed, and rewritten with something new. But if you start to apply stress to those neurons, they become ‘distracted’ from accessing new information, and continue to buzz around the brain as an empty slate.

Also, because our brains are constantly being stimulated with information, we are not giving them enough ‘downtime’ to formulate new memories. Scientists at the University of California discovered that when rats have a new experience, such as exploring an unfamiliar area, their brains show new patterns of activity. But it’s only when the rats take a break from their exploration that they process those patterns in a way that seems to create a lasting memory of those experiences. So it turns out that spending a night in front of that Breaking Bad box set really is beneficial, after all.

The evidence is overwhelming. Our reliance on technology is actually making our minds fuzzier, lazier and more fragmented. Just consider; the reason why you feel you get so little done at the end of the week, despite being run ragged, could simply be because you waste hours moving between technological devices and jumping from emails to tweets to text messages. It’s making us more self-absorbed, less able to empathise, and damaging our powers of concentration. And while there’s no getting away from the fact that our phones and tablets are here to stay, we can all choose to spend more time offline. Just taking time out to meet a friend face-to-face or pursuing a hobby that demands real concentration such as learning an instrument, painting or playing chess, will make all the difference.

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Don't settle for simple minds

Try these easy exercises from positscience.com to combat the effects of technology overdose and keep your brain ticking

1. Develop your listening skills

What to do: Memorise a song. Listen to a song you like, write down the lyrics and keep singing until you’ve learned it.

How it works: This requires close attention, focus and an active memory. When you focus, you release acetylcholine, a chemical that enables plasticity (the ability of the brain to change).

2. Promote your visual judgment

What to do: Complete a 1,000-piece jigsaw puzzle.

How it works: Sorting a variety of small parts to make a picture requires fine visual judgments as we try to work out where each piece goes. Manipulating your mind from the tiny pieces to the bigger picture really forces your brain into action.

3. Improve your focus and memory

What to do: Use your peripheral vision – sit somewhere outside, stare straight ahead and concentrate on everything you can see without moving your eyes. Write a list of things you saw, then repeat the exercise and try to remember more objects each time.

How it works: This helps you reinvigorate the controlled release of acetylcholine, which is important for focus and memory.

Technology Vs Brain: the evolution of memory