© Atlantide Phototravel/CorbisThis phenomenon has been dubbed 'photo-taking impairment effect.' If the participants took a photo of each object as a whole, they remembered fewer objects and fewer details. The researchers claim the findings highlight key differences between a person's memory and the camera's 'memory'
Taking a photo may seem like the most obvious way to remember a special occasion, but it could in fact be causing significant damage to your memory.
Researchers from Connecticut asked a group of students to recall what items in a museum looked like.
Those who had taken photos of the artefacts struggled to describe the objects, while those who hadn't, remembered them more clearly.
Dr Linda Henkel, from Fairfield University, who ran the study, calls this phenomenon 'photo-taking impairment effect'.
Dr Henkel is currently investigating whether the content of a photo, such as whether a person is in it, for example, affects memory.
Some cases, for example, have found people think they remember a certain event, such as a childhood party, but may be confusing actual memories with memories from a photograph.
To test this, Dr Henkel led a group of university students on a tour of an art museum in Connecticut.
Participants were asked to either photograph items as they walked around the museum, or told to remember certain objects.
Participants were directed to take pictures of particular objects while ignoring others and the next day their memory was tested.
Following the tests, data showed people were less accurate in recognising the objects they had photographed compared to those they had only looked at. Furthermore, their memory of detail for the objects they had photographed was poorer.
If participants took a photo of each object as a whole, they remembered fewer objects and remembered fewer details about the objects, including their locations within the museum.
The researchers claim the findings highlight key differences between a person's memory and the camera's 'memory'.
Dr Henkel said: '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.
'When people rely on technology to remember for them - counting on the camera to record the event and thus not needing to attend to it fully themselves - it can have a negative impact on how well they remember their experiences.'
'Research has suggested that the sheer volume and lack of organisation of digital photos for personal memories discourages many people from accessing and reminiscing about them.
'In order to remember, we have to access and interact with the photos, rather than just amass them,' said Dr Henkel.
The study is published in the journal Psychological Science.
Perhaps it's better this way? They won't see 'it' coming, as usual, nor will they remember 'it'... whatever 'it' may be in their life. It seems recent aviation history is teaching us that it's best to stay on auto-pilot if possible, as the pilots are mostly unprepared to pilot the craft themselves, due to lack of doing so, and if they are falling asleep behind the controls, it's best to let the computer do as it's programmed to do... and hope for the best, or pray for it when the auto-pilot goes offline. Then we are in trouble... as usual.