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Today, every other person has a camera by virtue of owning a smartphone. And these cameras are turning us into mindless zombies. A study suggests that taking too many photographs to remember things impairs our memories.

Smartphones have made cameras a very accessible accessory for everyone. It is no wonder, then, that at every memorable occasion or place, people tend to bring out their cameras and start snapping photos. Most often, this is done to share the images on social media accounts.

Occasionally, people may also take photographs to remember the details of a particular moment. However, a new study shows that using cameras impairs our memory so that we are not able to gather details of a moment well enough on our own.

To substantiate this, researchers took a group of students to a museum. The students were then asked either to take photographs or to simply look around and remember the details of the art pieces on exhibition. Next day, students were asked a range of questions to test their memories of the previous day.

The results showed that such students who were busy taking photographs had a hard time recognizing the very objects they shot with their cameras. Moreover, they were barely able to recall any details of these objects. Those who spent their time actually looking at the objects naturally did a lot better.

Dr Linda Henkel of Fairfield University, Connecticut, was the head of the research team. According to her, “People so often whip out their cameras almost mindlessly. When people rely on technology to remember for them, it can have a negative impact on how well they remember their experiences.”

Other studies in the past have suggested that photographs help us recall old memories. However, that is possible only when we have a vivid memory of the occasion in question, which is not possible if we have a camera in our hands all the time.

Courtesy: Daily Mail

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