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It’s kind of ironic when you think about it. The internet gives us access to pretty much infinite knowledge. Studies, books, videos, entire libraries worth of material, all available in seconds. Generations before us could never have dreamed of having that. In theory, all of it should make us smarter.

And yet, it doesn’t really seem like it has. Sure, plenty of folks have used the internet to become more informed or pick up new skills. But even so, there’s still no shortage of stupidity out there. If anything, the internet has just given it a spotlight.

In reality, the internet, and a lot of the tech that came with it, might actually be making us a bit dumber. Because for all the stuff it’s given us, it’s also taken some things away.

Think about GPS. Most of us use Google Maps to get pretty much anywhere these days. It’s obviously way easier than pulling out a physical map and a compass. But it also means our own sense of direction has gotten worse, because we’ve handed that job over to an app and stopped exercising that part of our brain entirely.

Same goes for research. We don’t need to go to a library and dig through books to piece information together anymore. We don’t need to brainstorm and scribble it all out on paper.

We can just type a few words into a search bar and get answers instantly. It’s incredibly convenient, but there’s not a whole lot of deep thinking involved in that process.

Funny enough, all that easy access to information has actually made us overestimate how much we know. One study from Yale tested this by having participants search for things online and comparing them to a control group that didn’t.

Turns out, those who looked something up felt significantly smarter than the control group, including on topics that had nothing to do with what they searched for. They were also convinced their brains were more active.

And now that we have easy access to AI, we have the luxury of thinking even less. It does our homework, plans our meals, puts together our workout routines, builds our vacation itineraries. Some of us even use it as a personal therapist. And so far, that kind of reliance isn’t looking great.

A study from MIT found that heavy use of tools like ChatGPT reduces cognitive engagement, weakens memory recall, and can slow down the development of critical thinking skills.

They tested this by splitting participants into three groups, each tasked with writing SAT-level essays. One group got access to ChatGPT, another used traditional Google Search, and the third had no resources at all, just their own brain. Over several rounds of essay writing, each participant was hooked up to an EEG to track brain activity. 

The ChatGPT group consistently showed the lowest engagement, and it actually got worse over time. By the end of the study, many of them were essentially just copying and pasting. Their brains were doing less and less with every essay.

Now, this doesn’t necessarily mean we’re all doomed or that we need to throw our phones in a river to avoid becoming brain-fried zombies. But it does suggest that maybe we should stop making everything so easy for ourselves.

This is something columnist Kathryn Jezer-Morton calls “friction-maxxing.” She coined the term in an essay for The Cut earlier this year, and the idea is pretty simple. Build up a tolerance for inconvenience. Choose the harder option more often and in doing so, make life a bit more enjoyable and fulfilling.

For example, instead of sharing your location with everyone at all times, you could turn it off. That way, the people who actually want to reach you have to put in a little effort and talk to you. And in return, you get something valuable back: privacy.

Or instead of ordering takeaway on a delivery app every time, you could actually go out to a restaurant or a cafe. Even if it takes more energy to get there. Invite someone along or go solo.

As a reward you get to enjoy a fresh meal. Have a real conversation with someone. Thank the staff in person and see an actual smile on their face. Just feel more connected to the world around you. A little friction goes a longer way than you’d think.