[kepler-dev] don't read this (your IQ might suffer ;-)

[Arcot Rajasekar]

I never check emails on weekends. that too early in tyhe morning :-)

can I go on disability.

   raja

On Sun, 24 Apr 2005, Bertram Ludaescher wrote:

>
> fyi .. (sorry for the spam, but I couldn't resist... )
>
> >From http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/europe/04/22/text.iq/index.html
>
> E-mails 'hurt IQ more than pot'
>
> Friday, April 22, 2005 Posted: 8:08 AM EDT (1208 GMT)
>
> LONDON, England -- Workers distracted by phone calls, e-mails and text
> messages suffer a greater loss of IQ than a person smoking marijuana,
> a British study shows.
>
> The constant interruptions reduce productivity and leave people
> feeling tired and lethargic, according to a survey carried out by TNS
> Research and commissioned by Hewlett Packard.
>
> The survey of 1,100 Britons showed:
>
> - Almost two out three people check their electronic messages out of
> office hours and when on holiday
> - Half of all workers respond to an e-mail within 60 minutes of
> receiving one
> - One in five will break off from a business or social engagement to
> respond to a message.
> - Nine out of 10 people thought colleagues who answered messages
> during face-to-face meetings were rude, while three out of 10
> believed it was not only acceptable, but a sign of diligence and
> efficiency.
>
> But the mental impact of trying to balance a steady inflow of messages
> with getting on with normal work took its toll, the UK's Press
> Association reported.
>   In 80 clinical trials, Dr. Glenn Wilson, a psychiatrist at King's
> College London University, monitored the IQ of workers throughout the
> day.
>   He found the IQ of those who tried to juggle messages and work fell by
> 10 points -- the equivalent to missing a whole night's sleep and more
> than double the 4-point fall seen after smoking marijuana.
>   "This is a very real and widespread phenomenon," Wilson said. "We have
> found that this obsession with looking at messages, if unchecked, will
> damage a worker's performance by reducing their mental sharpness.
>   "Companies should encourage a more balanced and appropriate way of
> working."
> Wilson said the IQ drop was even more significant in the men who took
> part in the tests.
>   "The research suggests that we are in danger of being caught up in a
> 24-hour 'always on' society," said David Smith of Hewlett Packard.
>   "This is more worrying when you consider the potential impairment on
> performance and concentration for workers, and the consequent impact
> on businesses."
>
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