Reading Connection 1

While reading the article "Is Google Making us Stupid?" by Nicholas Carr (http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200807/google), he talks about how in recent years he has been unable to focus on reading for more than two or three pages of text, and how he used to lose himself for hours in prose. This discovery led him to his research into whether the internet is making mankind stupid. Among other reasons, he discusses the malleability of the brain as a possible reason for why we are so inclined to give up library research for the convenience of the Internet. Essentially, what he suggests is that since the brain is hardwired to adapt to changes, that it is possible that the human brain has morphed itself into something more willing to skim text and take in what is read on the Internet as fact. Just as our technology has changed with time, so to have our minds.

This thought intrigued me, so I decided to look into the possible malleability of the brain farther. By searching google, which possibly may have made me less intelligent, I came across an interest article in which the author discussed the effects that new studies into brain malleability have had on people (http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/29/health/29book.html). The first study that is discussed is about a woman who suffered damage to her inner ear’s vestibular system, where the sense of balance resides, and as a result, feels as if she is constantly falling. She is brought to a neuroscience lab and sets of electrodes are placed onto the surface of her tongue and wired-up hard hate is placed onto her head. Sent to her brain are messages from an external vestibular system that subside the feelings of falling. The miraculous thing is that after years of testing with the device, her brain has finally adapted to sending her the right messages without it.

The article goes on to discuss similar studies that have been done with a fifty year old stroke patient learns to use his bad arm again by immobilizing his good one, and an amputee with an itch on his missing arm tricks his brain into seeing the arm and vanishing the itch. It was interesting to me to see how an article on the effects that Google has had on the brain could lead me to such an interesting article about neuroplasticity.

Works cited:
Carr, Nicholas. "Is Google making us stupid?". July, August 2008. TheAtlantic.com. 1 October 2008. http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200807/google
Zuger, Abigail. "The Brain: malleable, capable, vulnerable". 29 May 2007. TheNewYorkTimes.com. 1 Oct 2008. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/29/health/29book.html