FAIRFIELD, Conn. (CBS Connecticut) – Though many take photographs to help remember times gone by, a recent study suggests that doing so might, in fact, make it easier for picture-takers to forget the moment.
Researchers at Fairfield University found that taking pictures and posting them on social networking sites creates a separation between the person taking the picture and the subject of it, AFP is reporting.
Researchers set up camp at a museum owned by the University, then directed a group of students through a series of exhibits. Participants were then asked to take note on the exhibits by either capturing them in photographs or by using their eyes to observe them.
The following day, researchers quizzed the participating students on what they saw, and found that those who had taken pictures offered less accurate results.
“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,” study author and psychological scientist Linda Henkel was quoted as saying.
The study was published in the journal Psychological Science.