Posted on 05/03/2005 6:52:04 AM PDT by rhombus
LONDON, England -- Workers distracted by phone calls, e-mails and text messages suffer a greater loss of IQ than a person smoking marijuana, a British study shows.
The constant interruptions reduce productivity and leave people feeling tired and lethargic, according to a survey carried out by TNS Research and commissioned by Hewlett Packard.
The survey of 1,100 Britons showed:
Almost two out three people check their electronic messages out of office hours and when on holiday
Half of all workers respond to an e-mail within 60 minutes of receiving one
One in five will break off from a business or social engagement to respond to a message.
Nine out of 10 people thought colleagues who answered messages during face-to-face meetings were rude, while three out of 10 believed it was not only acceptable, but a sign of diligence and efficiency.
But the mental impact of trying to balance a steady inflow of messages with getting on with normal work took its toll, the UK's Press Association reported.
In 80 clinical trials, Dr. Glenn Wilson, a psychiatrist at King's College London University, monitored the IQ of workers throughout the day.
He found the IQ of those who tried to juggle messages and work fell by 10 points -- the equivalent to missing a whole night's sleep and more than double the 4-point fall seen after smoking marijuana.
"This is a very real and widespread phenomenon," Wilson said. "We have found that this obsession with looking at messages, if unchecked, will damage a worker's performance by reducing their mental sharpness.
"Companies should encourage a more balanced and appropriate way of working."
Wilson said the IQ drop was even more significant in the men who took part in the tests.
(Excerpt) Read more at cnn.com ...
Three out of 10 plus nine out of 10 equals 12 out of 10. I think email has hurt this authors IQ.
Emal no maek me stoopid!!! I is rele smert lots of tiems.
Well, I think . . . um, uh, I forgot.
Never mind . . .
:)
The mathematical inconsistencies in this statement lead me to believe its author uses email a lot.
I know that this story has knocked five points off mine, all by itself. Fortunately, I have plenty to spare...
What a ridiculous study! Stupid study and stupider reporting.
I have a niece who INSISTS on sending me those dumba$$ chain-letter e-mails.
Those DEFINTELY lower I.Q.
Clearly email is a gateway drug and we need a huge Gov't program to straighten things out.
What happens if the e mail is sent in different colors man?
Libertarian ping.To be added or removed from my ping list freepmail me or post a message here.So will the dea and state police kick in peoples doors in the middle of the night and steal peoples computers at gunpoint under asset forfiture now "for the children"?
What about posting to FR while on a conference call?
Ooooh...now we can have vitriolic WOsE threads!!!!
Boy, they must be getting some really crappy pot in England.
Is it "cause" or "effect"?
My e-mail friends and I all use normal English not these stupid "electronic vernacular" signs. We actually spell words as an educated person would in any correspondence. I have had some e-mails from people that I would have thought were better educated, only to see how stupid they were when they actually had to write it down. Is it just a coincidence that those people were lefites?
It's a foolish study (or article), but there isn't neccesarily a math problem. Isn't "rude but acceptable" a desciption of today's culture?
Phone calls, yes. Unless you have a guardian secretary or a "taking no calls" button, you have to answer a phone call when you get it.
You can answer an email anytime you choose. That's why I like email.
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