What Toll Does Texting Take on Us?

In this episode of the Psych Central Show, hosts Gabe Howard and Vincent M. Wales welcome Dr. Lori Russell-Chapin, who shares her experiences working in the field of neurofeedback. Specifically, she speaks on how technology – especially the intense use of handheld technology such as texting on smartphones – is affecting our brains. Dr. Russell-Chapin describes the differences that can be seen in the brain waves of a heavy texter as opposed to a “normal” baseline brain, how we seem to be losing our paralinguistic abilities, and offers insight to ways in which we can achieve a better balance in our lives by changing the way in which we use such technology.   TEXTING SHOW HIGHLIGHTS   [1:13]               How texting is changing the structure and function of our brains. [6:41]               Are we losing our paralinguistic abilities because of texting? [11:30]             How does one get into the field of studying brain function? [12:51]             What do we mean by “dysregulation” of the brain? [14:04]             How do we know what the proper baseline is for brain function? [18:47]             How do we achieve better balance?