Could ‘Google Effect’ Make You Less Smart?

A 2011 study claimed that information learned from Googling is less valuable because we don’t remember it.


There was academic controversy over the findings, but new follow-up research suggests the “Google Effect” is real. The easier it is to find information, the less likely you are to retain it.


Jill Barshay summarizes the research for The Hechinger Report. (August 2023)