This is your brain on technology
The human brain is wired to crave the instant gratification, fast pace, and unpredictability of technology, Cash says.
"I never know what the next tweet is going to be. Who's sent me an e-mail? What will I find with the next click of the mouse? What's waiting for me?" says Cash, who practices in Redmond, Washington. "But I know what's waiting for me in my garden."
Dr. Nora Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, admits she, too, has a hard time resisting the call of her BlackBerry. "On vacation, I look at it even though I don't need to," she says. "Or I take a walk with my husband and I can't resist the urge to check my e-mail. I feel guilty, but I do it."
She explains that constant stimulation can activate dopamine cells in the nucleus accumbens, a main pleasure center of the brain.
Over time, and with enough Internet usage, the structure of our brains can actually physically change, according to a new study. Researchers in China did MRIs on the brains of 18 college students who spent about 10 hours a day online.
Compared with a control group who spent less than two hours a day online, these students had less gray matter, the thinking part of the brain. The study was published in the June issue of PLoS ONE, an online journal.
