Why technology is making us STUPID: Reliance on gadgets and search engines reduces our brain power

They take many of the stresses and strains out of modern life. But smartphones, sat-navs and search engines could be messing with our minds. Scientists say that research is urgently needed into the long-term consequences of relying on gadgets rather than our brains. Studies on sat-nav use have found that while they helped motorists on their journey, they affected memory. The drivers remembered less about what they have seen along the way – and struggled to retrace the route when asked to drive it again without the aid of the sat-nav.