The Real Effects of Technology on Your Health

All you laptop-using, touchpad-checking, two-thumb-texting, smart phone-listening grown-ups

and kids beware: Those devices subtly change your back, eyes, ears and brains. Lifescript’s Health
Detective describes the damaging effects of technology on our bodies and minds...

Technology has crept into every corner of our lives, from obsessive texting to checking emails
more often than a stockbroker eyeballs the Dow.

Sure, you’re on top of Kim Kardashian’s latest crisis, but smart phones, tablet computers and
gadgets “have an impact on [your body], even if you’re dealing with irrelevant information,” says
Adam Gazzaley, M.D., Ph.D., associate professor of neurology, physiology and psychiatry at the
University of California, San Francisco.

Most of us absorb three times more information every day compared with 50 years ago, according
to University of California researchers. We spend 12 hours in front of TV and computers – and
that’s just at home.

So is all this techno-toiling bad for us? That depends on the devices you use and how often,
medical experts say.

Read about teen drivers and texting.

No one expects you to put down your smart phone and live like our ancestors did. Researchers are
conflicted so far, though, about whether the effects of media are good or bad for our brains. They
do agree that it’s changing how we think.

Which in itself isn’t alarming: “Throughout our lifespans, our brains always change,” Gazzaley
says.

Lifescript called, texted and emailed experts nationwide to learn about the effects of media on our
health. Read on to learn how it might be changing you.

Effects of Technology on Health #1: Failing Memory

You drive while talking on the cell phone, text while listening in on a conference call, surf your
iPad while watching TV. Multitasking is the new normal, and though it feels like we’re more
efficient, studies show it has the opposite effect.

“Your performance level drops if you stop one activity to pick up another,” says Gazzaley, who
conducts ongoing studies on the effects of media on our brains.

Multitasking participants had more difficulty filtering out irrelevant information than those
focusing on one task at a time. Multitaskers also took longer to switch tasks, juggle problems and
wasted time searching for new information when information they had was better and more
reliable.
In fact, students from Columbia and Harvard universities retained facts better when they knew
they couldn’t get them from a computer, according to a study published in Science magazine in
2011. If they knew they could get the facts later online, they just remembered how and where to
get it.

It gets worse as you age: Younger adults can retrieve the temporarily lost memory more quickly
than older adults, Gazzaley says.

Three steps you can take to improve your memory.

Tech solution: So, how should we handle the daily barrage of information and multitasking?

Gazzaley sets aside small amounts of times each day to “listen to music while I email and talk to a
colleague.” Otherwise his door is closed, his phone is turned off and he works uninterrupted.
That’s when “I can engage in high-quality thinking,” he says.

Effects of Technology on Health #2: Emotional Instability

Most adults don’t need 450 Facebook friends to feel validated. Teens, however, are emotionally
more vulnerable to the effects of rampant texting and online sharing, psychologists and physicians
say. Here’s how:

Sleep deprivation: Teens need about 9 hours sleep each day, but often text late into the night, says
Sherry Turkle, director of the Initiative on Technology and Self at the Massachusetts Institute of
Technology (MIT) and professor of the school’s Social Studies of Science and Technology
department. That means they can’t focus at school and cope well with social pressures.

Here’s how to tell if your teen isn’t getting enough sleep.

Too much codependence: Modern teens are failing to separate from their parents and become
independent thinkers, a major developmental step for adolescents. Blame cell phones and texting,
says Turkle.

“Fifteen years ago, if a kid called his mother 10 times a day for advice, I would be concerned,” she
says. “Today it’s, ‘What else is new?’ It’s become the norm, but it’s still an issue.”

No alone time: Phones and social-media sites prevent teens from experiencing solitude, setting
them up to be lonely when they don’t have a connection. As a result, they often suffer from “fear
of missing out,” Turkle says.

“We’re condemning a generation to not know how to sit in solitude,” Turkle says.

Time spent alone helps teens better withstand periods when they’re disconnected from their digital
devices and improves the sense of intimacy and bonding that face-to-face – not virtual – social
interactions provide.

Kids’ parents don’t set a good example either.

“They can’t walk around the corner to the store with their child without a phone attached to their
ear,” Turkle says. “It’s modeling to kids that it’s not OK to be unconnected.”

Tech solution: Parents should insist that family members turn off their phones at dinner and spend
time together, minus the media distractions, experts advise.

Find out other benefits of family meal time.

Effects of Technology on Health #3: Strained Vision

About 40% of optometrists’ patients experienced eye strain due to computer vision syndrome
(conditions related to “near work”), while 45% complained of neck and back pain associated with
computer or handheld device use, according to a 2008 survey by the American Optometric
Association (AOA).

Many computer users assume awkward postures to position their eyes for better performance,
according to the association.

Close computer work can cause light sensitivity, dry eye, blurred vision, double vision, fatigue and
headache.

Handheld devices force users to position the equipment “closer than eyes want,” says Jim Sheedy,
Ph.D., director of Vision Performance Institute at Pacific University in Forest Grove, Ore. “You
have to exert more muscular effort to see at that distance and experience more symptoms than
other technologies.”

Tech Solution: To avoid eye problems:

Limit time spent continuously in front of a computer. Look away from the screen every 20
minutes for 20 seconds, the AOA recommends. For the ideal viewing distance, set your monitor
about 20-28 inches away from your body.

Adjust the top of your monitor at eye level, so you’re looking down at the screen by 10°-20° (4-5
inches). That way you’ll avoid nodding your head up and down, causing neck and back strain,
Sheedy says. Laptops, especially, need to be raised to “that sweet spot” where your eyes are
looking down slightly.

Lighting above your head should be dim. The areas within your line of view – the wall in front of
you, for example – should be as bright as your computer screen. Avoid sitting in front of an un-
shaded window or with one behind you.
You can “embrace new technologies but organize your day so you spend more time working at a
desk, not on your lap,” Sheedy says.

It helps avoid eye, neck and back strain.

Also, research suggests that men who work with laptops on their knees may damage fertility. A
study published in 2011 in the journal Fertility and Sterility revealed that men who sat with their
knees together and their laptops on them raised their scrotum temperature by about 2°F in just 28
minutes. Earlier research showed that even that small rise in temperature can destroy sperm.

Effects of Technology on Health #4: Hearing Loss

Can you hear me now?

Probably not well, if you blast music through earbuds for long stretches, says Brian Fligor, D.Sc.,
M.S., director of diagnostic audiology at Children’s Hospital in Boston and an instructor at
Harvard Medical School.

Wear and tear on ears is normal, resulting in some hearing loss in seniors. But what you do early
in life sets the stage for how well you’ll hear as you age, Fligor says.

If you use poorly fitted earbuds, attend loud concerts frequently or shoot guns for target practice,
hearing loss can arrive even in your 20s. Teens, in particular, crank up their iPhones loudly to
drown out traffic noise, conversation and even other ambient music. About half of college students
in urban settings risk hearing loss.

Tech solution: To avoid hearing loss:

Make sure your earbuds fit snugly.

Limit your exposure to loud music (80% of maximum volume) to 90 minutes per day, says Fligor,
an unabashed loud-music guy himself. You may listen to music at half the maximum volume all
day without any risk. That level is acceptable to most people, he says, if it’s not competing with
loud background noise. “If I listen to cranked-up music for five minutes, then I give my ears a
break the rest of the day,” he says.

Get more tips on how to bring more quiet into your day.

Effects of Technology on Health #5: Muscle and Joint Pain

On average, we send and receive text messages 3,339 times a month, according to a 2010 Nielsen
Company survey.

In Britain, about 3.8 million thumb-typers complained of pain from similar activities. Nearly 38%
said they suffered from sore wrists and thumbs, the result of repetitive movements, according to a
2006 survey by Virgin Mobile, a British cell-phone company.
But not all researchers believe the thumb fatigue claims.

“That’s an urban legend,” says Peter W. Johnson, Ph.D., associate professor of environmental and
occupational health sciences at the University of Washington.

Typing on a computer is like “bingeing and gorging, while texting is like snacking,” he says. “It’s
intermittent, so you don’t have the same cumulative effect as working at a computer for 4-6
hours.”

Tech solution: To minimize potential pain from texting, Johnson recommends:

Use both hands to avoid overburdening one appendage.

Avoid sending texts continuously because it may hurt your hand and neck tendons, muscles and
nerves over time, Johnson says. “If you feel pain from texting when you go to sleep and wake up
with it in the morning, it’s time to give it a rest,” he advises. “Ligaments can take 4-6 weeks to
heal when damaged.”

Rest your arms on a table to relieve your neck and shoulders.

Effects of Technology on Health #6: Heart Trouble
The longer you sit either in front of a computer or TV, the greater likelihood you’ll die earlier –
even if you lift weights, jog or swim for 30 minutes a day, according to an ongoing study by
physiologist Marc Hamilton, Ph.D., a professor at Pennington Biomedical Research Center in
Baton Rouge, La.

A 2015 study confirms this.

Women who remained glued to their chairs more than six hours a day were 37% more likely to die
during the time period studied than those who sat fewer than three hours per day, according to an
American Cancer Society study that followed 123,000 adults for 14 years.

It didn’t matter if they were fat, thin or worked out daily, according to the study published in 2010
in American Journal of Epidemiology.

So what’s an office worker to do?

“Every chance you get, bend over to pick something up, walk or stand. Instead of sitting when
you’re on the phone, walk up and down the stairs at work – just move,” Hamilton says.

Understanding the Positive and Negative Effects of Technology on Health

photo (1).jpg
By Cristine Felt
9 months ago
xploring the Negatives

There are certainly some cons, too. Let’s check out three negative effects that can’t be ignored.

Hearing Loss
Take a look around the next time you’re on the subway, grabbing a cup of coffee at the local
Starbucks, or jogging on a treadmill at the gym. Many of the people around you will have
headphones in. While convenient, headphones can also be dangerous.
According to this infographic from Rush.edu, headphones at high volume can reach 105 decibels
(louder than a power tool). Listening to music with headphones for more than five minutes per day
at high volume puts people at an increased risk for permanent hearing loss.

Poor Posture
Not only do computers and devices encourage more sedentary behavior among users, but they also
frequently lead to poor posture, neck strain, and back issues. Repeated over long periods of time,
this sort of behavior can lead to chronic pain and discomfort that isn’t easily reversed.

Eyestrain
Many people find that overexposure to devices leads to symptoms of “Computer Vision
Syndrome” – which is defined as “the complex of problems associated with excessive screen time,
including eyestrain, blurred vision, and dry eyes.”

While short-term eyestrain can be prevented with smart practices (and even computer glasses), the
long-term impact of overexposure to screens is yet to be fully understood (and won’t be for a
handful of years).

Finding the Right Balance

There’s no turning back at this point. We’re in a society where technological innovation and
progression is the norm; it would take a minor miracle to reverse course. The key moving forward
is to find the correct balance so that our society enjoys more of the positive benefits and
experiences fewer of the negative side effects.

HOW DOES TECHNOLOGY USE AFFECT MEN’S & WOMEN’S HEALTH?

Person using a touch screen device
In the fight to stay healthy, technology can give us an edge. We can use our digital devices to
improve our diets, track our fitness efforts and manage all kinds of health conditions.

And that’s on top of all the wonderful technological advancements that have improved our
healthcare system.

We can run into some challenges, however, if we overuse it. When it comes to women’s and men’s
primary care, Portland physicians are increasingly seeing patients who exhibit signs of technology
overuse. After all, Americans spend nearly five hours a day looking at digital screens—and that
number keeps going up. Last year adults spent 65 percent more time on their smartphones each
month than they did in 2011.

That much of any activity is bound to take a toll. Fortunately, there’s a lot you can do to counteract
these side effects so you can continue to harness the power of technology to improve your overall
well-being.

Digital eyestrain

When we gaze at a screen for long periods of time, we often forget to blink. In fact, research has
shown we blink 10 times less than usual, which means the tears that protect our eyes evaporate
without being replaced. Additionally, reading the smaller fonts on a smartphone or other portable
device can intensify the strain.

Nearly seven in 10 U.S. adults report symptoms of digital eyestrain, which include dry eyes,
headaches, blurred vision, burning, itching, difficulty focusing and pain in the neck or shoulders.
For most people, eyestrain merely causes discomfort but doesn’t typically result in any long-term
problems.

To minimize discomfort, the Vision Council recommends taking a “20-20-20” break: Every 20
minutes, take a 20-second break and focus on something 20 feet away. To train yourself to blink
more, try to get in the habit of blinking every time you breathe.

Sleep disorders

We love our devices so much that many of us even sleep with them. One study found that 44% of
cell phone owners keep their phone next to their bed at night to ensure they don’t miss a thing. In a
2011 poll, 95 percent of adults said they regularly use their devices right before bedtime.

It might seem like a harmless habit, but late-night technology use can interfere with your ability to
sleep. Nearly two-thirds of Americans say they’re not getting enough sleep, the National Sleep
Foundation found, and Swedish researchers discovered a link between heavy cell phone use and
increased sleep disorders in both men and women.

“Artificial light exposure between dusk and the time we go to bed at night suppresses release of
the sleep-promoting hormone melatonin, enhances alertness and shifts circadian rhythms to a later
hour—making it more difficult to fall asleep,” says Charles Czeisler, MD, of Harvard Medical
School and Brigham and Women’s Hospital.
To avoid sleep disruption, try replacing late-night technology use with sleep-conducive activities
such as taking a bath or reading in bed. Resisting the urge to keep the phone on your nightstand
can also help minimize nighttime interruptions.

Physical inactivity

When we’re using technology, we generally aren’t exercising. That’s why there’s an increasing
body of research linking overuse of digital devices to a drop in exercise and fitness levels.
Americans got 32% less exercise and were 43% more sedentary in 2009 than in 1965, researchers
found. And in a study of college students, those who used their smartphones the most had poorer
results on cardiorespiratory fitness tests than the less addicted.

That’s a problem technology can easily help us solve. There are plenty of fitness apps available to
help you stick to an exercise routine, stay motivated and track your progress. Using just one of
them can help ensure you get enough activity to counteract your screen time.

Technology can add limitless value to our lives—especially if we take care to use it mindfully. As
technology use increasingly finds its way into discussions about men’s and women’s primary care,
Portland doctors hope patients will explore new ways to tap into its power to improve their overall
health and fitness.

25 Negative Effects of Technology

June 8, 2013

The impact of technology on our social, mental, physical and environmental health can be
devastating if we don’t keep ourselves in check. There’s no denying the benefits we have gained
from technological advancements, but as with all things in life moderation is key. Being aware of
the harmful aspects of the overuse of electronics will help you avoid any unnecessary pitfalls. We
have also compiled a list of reading material that delves deeper into this relatively new area of
study.
Cyber Junkie: Escape the Gaming and Internet Trap
Internet Addiction: A Handbook and Guide to Evaluation and Treatment
Caught in the Net: How to Recognize the Signs of Internet Addiction–and a Winning Strategy for
Recovery
The Digital Diet: The 4-step plan to break your tech addiction and regain balance in your life
iDisorder: Understanding Our Obsession with Technology and Overcoming Its Hold on Us

Here are 25 negative effects technology can have:

1. Isolation

Social isolation is characterized by a lack of contact with other people in normal daily living, such
as, the workplace, with friends and in social activities. We isolate ourselves by walking around in
our own little world, listening to our iPods or staring at the screen of the latest mobile device even
when we are around other people. Studies have shown that people who are socially isolated will
live shorter lives.

2. Lack of Social Skills

The use of online social media outlets causes us to meet face-to-face with much less frequency
resulting in a lack of much needed social skills. We lose the ability to read body language and
social cues in other people.

3. Obesity

The more time people are spending engrossed in video games, talking to friends online and
watching funny cat videos on YouTube, they are spending less time being active or exercising.
Also the likelihood of mindlessly eating unhealthy food increases as people are hypnotized by the
latest episode of Honey Boo Boo.

4. Depression

Technology creates the perfect recipe for depression with the lack of human contact, overeating
and lack of exercise. There is a reason the use of antidepressants are on the rise and the blame
can’t be completely dumped on the pharmaceutical companies. They aren’t carting people into the
doctor’s office and force feeding them the pills. This isn’t to say that depression isn’t a real
problem, but some people could cure their depression by living a healthier lifestyle.

5. Poor Sleep Habits

Some of the negative effects of technology can be linked to the effect it has on sleep habits. We
get sucked into online activities that keep us up too late and the constant stream of information can
make it difficult to turn off our brains. Also, the ambient glow from screens can affect the release
of melatonin, the sleep chemical. Keeping technology out of the bedroom would be a very healthy
habit to acquire.

6. Pollution

With the rapid-changing world of electronics and technology, the turnover rate for upgrades is
staggering. This constant stream of out with the old, in with the new is adding to the levels of
toxicity in our air and land. E-waste is not always disposed of properly, causing deadly chemicals
to leach into the ground. Plants that manufacture the electronics are emitting toxic fumes into the
air. Plus there is little to no regulations on the disposal of personal E-waste.

7. Increased Bullying

The use of technology has caused an increase in bullying and escalated the degree of severity.
Kids are no longer able to escape their tormentors once they reach the safety of their own homes.
Bullies infiltrate the security of their victims’ homes through online avenues. It is also easier to get
more kids involved in bullying because people are more likely to say things online that they
wouldn’t say in person. The increase in cyber-bullying has also led to an increase in teen suicides.

8. Lack of Privacy

The internet has stripped the world of privacy. Long gone are the days of having an unlisted
telephone number and staying offline to keep your information safe from prying eyes. With a few
flicks on a keyboard the average person can find anyone’s address and contact information. For
those with more sinister intentions, the use of phishing, viruses and hacking helps to find any
information they wish to obtain. Plus, people have no sense of privacy online. They don’t think
twice about tweeting every move they make, freely giving out their location on Google Map and
putting their entire life story on Facebook.

9. Higher Level of Deceit

On the flip side of having no privacy, people use the internet to deceive others. Most people don’t
dig too deeply when doing a search on someone to check them out. By creating a few false
profiles, people are able to pretend to be whomever they want. People are being “catfished” on
dating sites. Hell, you could be talking to someone on the FBI’s top ten most wanted list and not
realize it until you see them getting arrested on the news.

10. Warped Sense of Reality

Using the internet as an escape from real life is very easy to do. In real life you only speak to a
few people each day, there’s no Photoshop or avatar for the reflection in your mirror, bills must be
paid and saying smartass things is frowned upon. However, online you are a freaking rock star!
You have enough “friends” to form a small country, you look great in your pics or you have a
kickass avatar, plus you get rewards or points for saying clever things (more if the clever thing is
also mean-spirited). Unfortunately we must live in the real world whether we like it or not.

11. Stress

Constantly being “plugged in” and “connected” causes an extra layer of stress that wasn’t present
before the overuse of technology.

12. Blackberry/iPhone Thumb

Tendonitis in the thumb, a.k.a. Blackberry/iPhone Thumb, is a form of repetitive strain injury
caused by the frequent use of thumbs to press buttons on mobile devices. The same injury can also
be obtained from playing too many video games.

13. Lack of Social Boundaries

Much in the same way that people over share on social media sites, there is an increasing tendency
to cross social boundaries. Cyber stalking someone or sending unsolicited nude photos are
examples of grossly crossing social boundaries.

14. Lack of Sexual Boundaries

Exposure to sexual content is more likely to happen at a much younger age. Before the internet the
only chance a child had of being exposed to pornography was if their dad didn’t hide his Playboy
magazine well enough. Now, well, let’s just say you pray your filters are doing their job when
your kid searches for “Puss and Donkey” from Shrek.

Sexting is also a concern with technology being used at such a young age. There is no way in hell
a girl would have taken a nude photo of herself and handed it to a guy before the popularity of
texting. Yet, using your phone to snap a quick boob shot and texting it to your boyfriend seems to
be no big deal. If you wouldn’t print the picture out and hand it to the guy, then you shouldn’t text
it. And guys — girls do not want pictures of your penis. So stop sending them.

15. Lack of Social Bonds

Creating a lasting bond with other people requires face-to-face interaction. The more we isolate
ourselves with technology the fewer bonds we will form. People are expected to do more work at
home which takes away time they would be spending with their families. Also, younger people
prefer communicating online versus face-to-face. When people are in the same room and
communicating via text or instant messaging instead of speaking to each other, there’s a problem.

16. Constant Distraction

When we are focused on a device instead of what’s going on around us we miss a great deal.
Think of the number of times you have been texting or talking to a friend and missed the
opportunity to flirt with the hot guy standing beside you. There is also a rise in the number of
injuries incurred by people texting while walking.

17. Neck and Head Pain

Constantly looking down at devices can cause neck pain and over time will cause the neck to lose
its natural curve. Eyestrain can also cause headaches, blurred vision and migraines.

18. Shortened Attention Span

The use of social media has shortened our attention span from 12 minutes to 5 minutes. Constant
news feeds, getting information in 140 characters and videos that are 10 minutes or less has
literally rewired our brains. People who are online an average of 5 hours a day have trouble
remembering people’s names, forget pots on the stove and even their own birthday.
19. Addiction

People are not only dependent on technology they are also addicted to it. Studies have shown that
when cell phones are taken away subjects heard or felt fathom vibrations, continuously reached
for phones that weren’t there and became fidgety and restless. These are some of the same
withdrawal symptoms you would expect from doing drugs.

20. Lack of Empathy

The constant stream of violent scenes on video games, TV, movies and YouTube causes people to
become desensitized to destruction of any kind. The normalizing of bad things happening and the
culture of narcissism created by social media creates a society of people who lack empathy. When
people stop caring, the world goes to hell in a hand basket.

21. More Violence

After people lose empathy and are accustomed to violence, it becomes the social norm. Teenage
girls are videoing themselves violently beating another girl; the number of school shootings are
rising and videos of people attacking homeless people are a few examples of violent behavior
caused by media.

22. Higher Energy Consumption

Although individual devices are becoming more energy efficient, the increased overall use is
causing a higher consumption of energy. People don’t turn their devices off; they keep computers
on or plugged in, mobile devices charging and televisions plugged in. Also manufacturing all of
these high tech toys causes an increase in greenhouse gas emissions.

23. Developmental Issues in Children

Children are using more technology now than they have ever used in the past. All of the negative
effects that social media and television is having on adults are far greater when it comes to the
developing minds of children. There is no way to know what long term effect technology will
have on our children because this is the first generation to have unlimited access.

24. Neurosis

Technology causes people to suffer from mental and emotional disturbances, such as anxiety,
phobias and delusions, which are all symptoms of neurosis. Being convinced you’re very ill after
looking up strange diseases on WebMD or thinking you are famous because you have had a viral
video are a couple of ways technology neurosis manifests itself.

25. Loss of Hearing and Eyesight

Using headphones and ear buds can cause people to lose their hearing over time. Likewise,
straining your eyes looking at computer and device screens can cause people to need glasses much
earlier in life.

Be more mindful of the time you spend using technology. If you have longer conversations with
Siri than you do with real people, it’s probably time to put the phone down. Force yourself to have
an electronic-free day or weekend. When you go on vacation, don’t take your phone or at least put
it on “do not disturb”. Creating balance will help you enjoy the benefits of technology without
becoming a mindless internet zombie.