Not-so-smart brain

We all knew this day would come. The first glimpse into the effects of our beloved smartphones has been revealed by the Pew Research Centre at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America. So what’s happening to our brains? According to the study, kids with internet or smartphone addiction were found to have higher levels of a certain neurotransmitter that slows down brain signals, and one that causes electrical excitement. Both have been correlated with addictions, depression and anxiety, leading us to believe that these smartphones might be doing more harm than good. But it’s not all doom and gloom. The researchers put these young addicts on a nine-week cognitive behavioural therapy programme which significantly decreased or normalised the neurotransmitter ratios firing off in the brain. Still not great for our phones though. Where’s that Nokia 3310 gone?

46%   of Americans say they ‘could not live without their smartphones.’