alt Hacker NewsIm 45, and i can tell you getting a cell phone absolutely destroyed my ability to memorize phone numbers. During the 90s when i was in highschool i has all my friends numbers, parents work numbers, etc... memorized, i only know my parents and wife now.
If you don't use a skill, that skill atrophies
Replies
sodapopcan • yesterday at 10:57 PM
...which can come in handy. Sometimes your cellphone battery dies. I still know my parents' numbers from memory (as well as some of my friends' parents' numbers, though that isn't super useful) but I am concerned about it sometimes.
globular-toast • today at 6:51 AM
I still remember to this day our house phone number and the numbers of my family, friends and even a payphone down the road, all from 30+ years ago.
I don't even know my partner's number, or email address...
> If you don't use a skill, that smo atrophies
I don't think the _ability_ to memorize phone numbers is what atrophied here by getting a cell phone. The _need_ did. It's harder to memorize phone numbers today because we lack the practical application of the memory (e.g. only when something fails do we actually try to put that memory to practice). I bet anyone would quickly pick up on memorizing phone numbers if they had to both remember and type in the phone numbers every time they wanted to make a call or text.