According to Nicolas Carr who wrote a book on the subject, too many external distractions inhibit concentration and contemplation. Thought becomes disjointed and shallow.
He reports, “A series of psychological studies over the past twenty years has revealed that after spending time in a quiet rural setting, close to nature, people exhibit greater attentiveness, stronger memory, and generally improved cognition. Their brains become calmer and sharper” (Nicholas Carr, The Shallows: What the Internet is Doing to Our Brains, W.W. Norton & Company, New York, 2010, p. 219).
Carr claims such calm environments allow the brain to relax and ponder matters, thus restoring attention and depth to thought. The human brain is not made to process information like a computer. It needs to put things into context and make relationships that give meaning and purpose to life. Such conclusions are, of course, logical and even obvious. However, so many people simply do not take the time to consider these conclusions — until some scientific study gives them some kind of validity. Fewer take the time to implement the consequences that can be drawn from these conclusions since it would mean great effort and a rejection of much of today’s fast paced culture.
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