NY Times: Digital Devices Deprive Brain of Needed Downtime

Digital Devices Deprive Brain of Needed Downtime
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/25/technology/25brain.html
 
Technology makes the tiniest windows of time entertaining, and potentially productive. But scientists point to an unanticipated side effect: when people keep their brains busy with digital input, they are forfeiting downtime that could allow them to better learn and remember information, or come up with new ideas.
 
"Almost certainly, downtime lets the brain go over experiences it's had, solidify them and turn them into permanent long-term memories," said Loren Frank, assistant professor in the department of physiology at the university, where he specializes in learning and memory. He said he believed that when the brain was constantly stimulated, "you prevent this learning process."
 
At the University of Michigan, a study found that people learned significantly better after a walk in nature than after a walk in a dense urban environment, suggesting that processing a barrage of information leaves people fatigued.
 
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This is so inspiring.
I'm going to take a walk in the woods, pitch a tent, and blog about it.