Study: Taking Photos May Harm Our Ability To Make Memories

[ErikJ]

Taking a picture for posterity at a birthday, wedding or concert may harm our ability to remember the event fully, researchers believe in a phenomenon known as 'photo-taking impairment effect'
Taking photographs at a birthday or a wedding has become as natural as blowing out candles or cutting the cake.

But our obsession with recording every detail of our happiest moments could be damaging our ability to remember them, according to new research.

A study has shown that taking pictures rather than concentrating fully on the events in front of us prevents memories taking hold.

Dr Linda Henkel, from Fairfield University, Connecticut, described it as the "photo-taking impairment effect".

She said: "People so often whip out their cameras almost mindlessly to capture a moment, to the point that they are missing what is happening right in front of them.

"When people rely on technology to remember for them - counting on the camera to record the event and thus not needing to attend to it fully themselves - it can have a negative impact on how well they remember their experiences."

..............................................

The study is published in the journal Psychological Science.

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/taking-photos-may-harm-our-ability-to-make-memories-study-2013-12#ixzz2n6khfuAr

[Orrex]

1. Plato said something similar about written text.

But I can't remember it just now.

[tridim]

3. LOL.

I read a satire story the other day about a guy who went to a rock concert and forgot his camera, so he had to actually watch the show.

"It was just like I was there!"

[MineralMan]

2. Even odder are tourists traveling in foreign countries

who go around with a camera up all the time. They're seeing the place their visiting through the camera and its narrow angle of view, and on a tiny screen. I've never understood that. With no camera, you actually see the place you're visiting, and you can turn your head to see a 360-degree view.

When I've traveled outside of the US, I don't even carry a camera with me. If I want photos, there's always someone selling postcards of the place I'm looking at. I buy those. That supports the local economy and I get to see everything, not just a tiny LCD image of what the camera is aimed at.

The other thing I've noticed is that a lot of the people seeing a place through the camera go to the nearby McDonald's for lunch, instead of eating in a local restaurant or buying food from a street vendor.

Why even go?

[RobinA]

7. If I Were Still Capable

of taking things personally, you would have just insulted my entire family of photographers. Some would say that you see a scene more fully when trying to get a good picture.

[MineralMan]

10. I have insulted nobody. I merely said I found it odd.

I don't care if people take photos. That's their deal. I stopped taking photos while traveling, and found it of benefit to me. So, there's no insult intended. I just find it odd. I saw much more clearly with my own eyes than through a viewfinder (I'm old, and cameras had viewfinders then.)

What your family does is its own business. I don't care one way or another. I'm just making an observation.

[DisgustipatedinCA]

12. Real cameras still have viewfinders n/t

[MineralMan]

17. Yes, they do. I still have my Pentax Spotmatic, with

a bunch of lenses, and my Mamiya RB67, with only a couple of lenses. I do not remember the last time I used either of them. When I was taking photographs professionally to illustrate the magazine articles I was writing and for some cover photos, I used them a lot. Today, not so much. My profession has changed, and I no longer do photography as part of my work.

[BlueJazz]

13. I understand what you mean. I've (kinda') forced/let myself enjoy the moment and then...

...take a picture of the scene. When I made my first trip back to Australia, I came back to the US and had a lot of photos and not so many memories....the second time and hence, I've enjoyed the present scene and THEN copied it.

[MineralMan]

14. That makes sense.

[Baclava]

4. completely ridiculous - you can't pass your memories around to show your kids 20 years later

It's not all about you - it's about sharing memories.

I've taken a million pics from all over the world - I still go through them to remember places and show them to people.

[Ichingcarpenter]

5. Nethanderals say Cro Magnon cave art will destroy memories.

..............LOL

[cyberswede]

6. Some of the kids' events that I've recorded...

I felt like I kinda missed the actual event, whether it's a sporting event or a concert, or whatever.

I missed one of my son's recent wrestling matches because I was effing around with the iPad camera, and he pinned his opponent so quickly I literally missed the whole thing.

I find I take fewer photos/videos now, so I can concentrate on the event itself.

That said, we definitely take a few photos of birthdays & x-mas to capture those memories for the kids to enjoy later. It's also fun to compare how they've grown from year to year - something photos add to the memory experience, imo.

[SheilaT]

8. I stopped takig so many pictures some years back precisely because

I realized my picture taking had become more important than whatever I was photographing.

Taking some pictures to document an event is fine, but living completely behind the camera strikes me as not so good a thing.

[X_Digger]

9. Memory isn't nearly as accurate as people think it is.

http://www.visualexpert.com/Resources/eyewitnessmemory.html

http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/2011/08/04/4-things-most-people-get-wrong-about-memory/

[trishtrash]

15. Been to an art gallery or museum lately?

It's insane. Hard to keep from being mowed down by folks (mostly kids) zipping from one masterpiece to another with their phones in front of their faces snapping pics. My guess is they don't even look at them later! Sad.

[X_Digger]

19. That's a shame.

I haven't been to an art museum in a long time- I'm more of a museum of natural history / science and tech kind of guy. Any time I'm in DC, I try to make sure I have a few hours to wander the smithsonian.

[GoCubsGo]

18. Yep. That's why I like to take lots of pictures.

I'm also sure to look around while I'm there, but I want a means to remember things in case I DO forget...

[cynatnite]

22. Not only that, the photos I do take I want to pass on to my children and grandchildren...

I also like handing the camera to my grandchildren and letting them take the pictures.

There is a lot of value in both pictures and picture taking.

[BlueJazz]

11. I just have people doing everything twice.

[ErikJ]

16. Heh! You need one of those mini-video cameras on your head. nt

[Glassunion]

20. The entire premise is garbage...

No Photos = No Caturday


Your argument has been invalidated.

[cynatnite]

21. This study should be called "we have nothing better to waste our money on"...

This is about the stupidest thing I've read in quite a while.

Crap like this is what gives RWer's ammunition.

[Silent3]

23. The first time I saw a total solar eclipse...

...I wanted to take my own pictures, but at the same time, I wanted to make sure I didn't get sucked into playing with my camera instead of taking in the experience. I think I found the right balance with my camera set up on a tripod, exposures all predetermined, just quickly glancing at the viewfinder and clicking occasionally.

I didn't miss watching the amazing way the light was changing around me, not just in the sky but across the landscape, taking some time to watch the faces of the other people looking on, and of course, looking at the eclipse itself as much as I could. (Once totality has been reached, you don't need protective eyewear, you can take in the beauty of the eclipse fully and directly.)

On other occasions, I've let my camera get the better of me, but not too often.

My avatar, by the way, comes from that first eclipse, seen in Zambia in 2001.