How technology challenges our brains and relationships

The Best of Ripple Effect27:29Technology changes, challenges, our brains and relationships

These days you can't escape the influence of technology on our lives - from competing with a smartphone for personal interaction, to how our brains are losing navigational skills in favour of the GPS - the ripple effects are all around us.

These days you can't escape the influence of technology on our lives from competing with a smartphone for personal interaction, to how our brains are losing navigational skills in favour of the GPS. The ripple effects are all around us.

In 100 metres, go left... No, right!

The ramifications of our growing dependence on the Global Positioning System has created some surprising and worrisomeconsequences on the brain as we try to navigate the world.

Access to GPS is ubiquitous.According to navigationconsultantRogerMcKinlay, 80per cent of the adult population worldwide is likely to own a smartphone by 2020.

He tells Ripple Effect host, Anna Maria Tremonti why we need to stop relying on our GPS for directions and feel more comfortable using maps. McKinlay argues navigation skills are needed considering the fallibility of GPS.

Cognitive neuroscientist Veronique Bohbot studies how the brain uses memory for navigation and agrees with McKinlay that our dependence on GPS needs to be altered.

When it comes to the brain, Bohbot tells Tremontithe overuse of electronic navigation systems shrinks our hippocampuswhich may increase our risk of Alzheimer's and other brain problems.

Put down the phone and talk.It's a sentiment that SherryTurklewould stand by.

The M.I.T. professor and best-selling author believes our relationship with our phones could be damaging our relationships with each other. It's something she's thought a lot about and details in her book, Reclaiming Conversation: The Power of Talk in a Digital Age.

Technology makes us forget what we know about life.- SherryTurkle

Turkle tells Tremonti why she's concerned people are losing their ability to connect meaningfully with one another. She says the overuse of smartphones is making us lose empathy for each other and Turkle is on a mission to reclaim face-to-face conversation in our over-connected age.