Email Worse Than Marijuana For Intelligence?

wallykeyster writes "The Guardian is reporting that a recent study at King's College indicates that the average IQ loss of email users was 10 points (or six points more than cannabis users). Details on The Register as well. The Register has a related story about how computers make kids dumb and an apparent "problem-solving deficit disorder" observed in children who use computers. I thought it was television that rotted your brain?"

Sex Lowers IQs

[fembots]

The Register's story here [theregister.co.uk]

The survey didn't mention how subjects were selected, what if some of them are also drug users? And I think people are more willing to reveal their email addiction than their drug adddiction.

I believe it's more about social-acceptability. If the respondents think that being distracted by emails is not unacceptable (as shown in the article), they will allow themselves to be distracted.

Next up we will see how sex lower people's IQ. Imaging you're answering questions in front of naked marketing chicks.

Only temporary

[tansey]

According to the article, they only "temporarily" lost IQ points.

So you'll be fine as soon as you stop using the internet...

RTFA

[harris s newman]

The only mention of marijuana is in the title. The study doesn't mention this, only the writer of the article. Perhaps it's an attention getter, but certainly not scientific evidence.

Re:Well, funny and all but.....

[mriker]

I'm with Oliver. Why you're devising a plan to lie to your child instead of being up front and direct with him is beyond me. My unsolicited advice is simply to teach your child the value of moderation and responsibility; limit his gaming to x hours per day and see how that works out.

Re:Well, funny and all but.....

[Anonymous Coward]

Sorry -- are you a parent? Sounds to me like a rant by someone without kids who knows how to raise them better than actual parents. Until you walk a mile in cheerios-encrusted, juicy-juice-stained shoes your opinion's not goint to mean much to people who have children.

Re:Well, funny and all but.....

[SunFan]

you can love your offspring while still denying them things, despite what your idiot neighbor claims.

Denying children from being overwhelmed by abundance _is_ the responsibility of loving parents. It's the only way for children to develop a perspective on how the real world operates (most people don't get things simply by pouting about it--they have to work for it).

Re:Well, funny and all but.....

[gad_zuki!]

Everquest, MUDS, etc are all skinner boxes. You eventually get a reward for lots of work and it becomes compulsive. Toss in the social aspect and it can be serious. MUDs had me for a while, hurt grades I guess but not by too much, but it certianly was compulsive, and to the outsider completely and utterly weird.

Re:The Solution

[gad_zuki!]

>And legalize pot

Not to mention, the IQ drop is a government myth. [erowid.org] The cherry-picked studies which show this have some seriously flawed methodology like graduate students tested against off-the-street stoners. If you can keep producing results that show marijuana in a negative light you can some nice grants from the government.

Re:Well, funny and all but.....

[Anonymous Coward]

I'm sorry that my 4th language, one which I had for 3 years in high school with a teacher who didn't take synonyms as valid answers in tests, isn't as 'perfect' as the native english of the /. editors...

Re:Well, funny and all but.....

[Angostura]

You should have a look at Enigmo [pangeasoft.net] from Pangea. It is originally a Mac game, but available for PC too now.

Fabulous.

My daughter is 2 and I'm waiting until she is old enough to play it. I'm also busily writing some Logo routines to draw pretty stuff that she will be able to tweak about whenshe is much older... if she wants to .