Browsing the internet can make you feel smarter

Browsing the internet can make you feel smarter
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Searching the internet for information may make people feel smarter than they actually are, but this inflated sense of personal knowledge may have negative effects, scientists say. In a series of experiments, participants who searched for information on the internet believed they were more knowledgeable than a control group about topics unrelated to the online searches.

Washington: Searching the internet for information may make people feel smarter than they actually are, but this inflated sense of personal knowledge may have negative effects, scientists say. In a series of experiments, participants who searched for information on the internet believed they were more knowledgeable than a control group about topics unrelated to the online searches.

Participants had an inflated sense of their own knowledge after searching the internet even when they couldn't find the information they were looking for. After conducting internet searches, participants also believed their brains were more active than the control group did. The use of internet searches, not just access to the internet, appeared to inflate participants' sense of personal knowledge.

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