World-renowned author Daniel Tammet, in his second
book, Embracing the Wide Sky, explores the human mind
as only someone with his unique gifts can.
Our world is
generating more information with more resources and
technology now than at any time in history: through TV and
radio programs, cell phones, magazines, email,
websites, blogs, and other media. There is no doubting
the benefits that the free and plentiful flow of
information has brought to our lives, but as many people are
finding out: there really can be too much of a good
thing.
Being overwhelmed
by a continuous maelstrom of information can be just as
damaging to our minds as having too little of it; both
extremes dampen down careful, reflective thinking, the
ability to make meaningful connections between
disparate facts or ideas, to gain genuine
understanding of complex issues and events, and to make
sense of ourselves and the world around us. The modern
“toomuchness” of information is eroding
both the vigor and rigor of our mental lives.
In numerous
studies, psychologists give support to the idea that
too much information can be harmful to our brains. In
1997, journalist David Shenk touched on many of these
concerns in his book, Data Smog: Surviving the
Information Glut, arguing that modern forms of
information were multiplying faster than our ability to
process them, leading to “infoglut” and
detracting from our quality of life. British
psychologist David Lewis describes the negative effects of
data smog -- from insomnia to poor
concentration—as “information fatigue
syndrome,” and business executives in his case
studies show symptoms ranging from irritability to
heart problems and hypertension. Dr. Lewis’s studies
also show that workers struggling with an excess of
information are more likely to make mistakes or
misunderstand coworkers and orders, and to work longer
hours in an attempt to keep up with the flow of new
information.
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From Embracing the Wide Sky by Daniel Tammet.
Copyright © 2009 by Daniel Tammet. Reprinted
by permission of Free Press, a Division of Simon &
Schuster Inc, NY.