What is your oblong doing to you?

14 February 2022

Your oblong (called a smartphone in the real world) allows you do all sorts of things: work, play, organise your finances, take and share photos, participate in word games, and read books. But this functionality and usefulness may come at a cost, particularly when it comes to reading: reduced comprehension. This according to research lead by Motoyasu Honma of the Showa University School of Medicine, in Japan.

We found that, compared to reading on a paper medium, reading on a smartphone elicits fewer sighs, promotes brain overactivity in the prefrontal cortex, and results in reduced comprehension.