I note (thanks Phillip Smith) a Hewlett Packard research item (reported at cnn.com) that indicates that emails and text messages create a greater loss in a person's IQ than smoking marijuana. At least, that's the headline - but the study also provides a comparison showing that being constantly interrupted by emails has the same impact on your IQ as missing a full night's sleep.
The study doesn't mention the long-term effects of email use, but one would think that the long-term "e-mail withdrawal" symptoms can't be good.
I suspect banning email won't be the answer for productivity increases (can you imagine receiving 120 phone calls a day instead?), but this is probably a reminder note to regularly schedule email-free time. If it is important, they'll call you. I suspect many people suffer from the symptom that the next email could be really interesting (even if the last five weren't).
I know I do, and if I find a good therapy group I'll post it on this website.
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