Can technology rewire our brains?

By Michael McCauley Can the way we interact with technology alter our neural pathways? Some recent research by Dr. Gary Small, a clinical psychologist at UCLA and an expert on memory, aging, and the brain, indicates that the way we use technology today may be changing the way we read, learn and interact with one other. Dr. Small suggests that a balance between technology and personal interaction is ideal, providing our brains with the opportunity to build circuits focused on technology and social interactions. It seems that this is especially important when it comes to persuasive technologies. Because persuasive technologies both provide some significant advantages over personal persuasion methods, it is reasonable to assume that we will rely on these technologies more in the future. At Cerebyte we want to integrate the best of persuasive technology with the best of personal interaction going forward. That is why we are so excited by the persuasive coaching model, where persuasive technology is used together with a live coach to facilitate personal transformation. By maintaining the essential person-to-person interaction that Dr. Small believes is necessary to balanced development, the user can “rewire” his or her brain on many levels. In addition, our experience indicates that synergy is created – and it enables much faster transformation than technology or coaching alone would provide.]]>