When was the last time that you dialed a phone number from memory? It probably depends on how long you've been using {#blank#}1{#/blank#} like a cellphone. While some generations can recall the days of memorizing phone numbers, it's possible that members of Generation Z have never had to remember a single {#blank#}2{#/blank#}. Why is this? Because smartphones offer quick and convenient ways for storing and {#blank#}3{#/blank#} information. There is no need to memorize anything. But this isn't without consequence. As digital devices develop, more and more users' heavy reliance on them may be having disabling effects." Digital dementia（失智）"is the term being used by medical professionals to identify some of these effects.

    Some professionals like Jim Kwik, an expert in memory improvement and optimal brain performance, are taking a closer look at this effect. Kwik describes digital dementia like this:"...we're {#blank#}4{#/blank#} our brains to our smart devices. We're so reliant on our smartphones that our smartphones are making us stupid. As medical studies chart the decline in memory and cognitive skills among smartphone users, a connection is made between symptoms {#blank#}5{#/blank#} with dementia."

    The seriousness of overuse becomes {#blank#}6{#/blank#} when you consider just how young smartphone users are becoming. Author and speaker Simon Sinek points out that young minds" Are not ready for it! Their minds cannot cope with the dopamine（多巴胺）."Consequently, the overstimulation of screens and sounds lead to {#blank#}7{#/blank#} more often than not. So now parents, teachers and managers are asking how to handle the influx（汇集）of young people with this kind of addiction.

    First, monitor your cellphone use. Keep downloading applications like Forest or Checky. Then cut back on any {#blank#}8{#/blank#} usage. Set a specific goal of how much you think you should use your phone.

    Determine {#blank#}9{#/blank#} areas for cellphone use. For example, while you're at home, only allow yourself to check your phone somewhere like a home office. This way, the time in between tasks isn't {#blank#}10{#/blank#} filled with staring at your screen.

    The brain is a seemingly endless library, whose shelves house our most precious memories. To allow new memories to form, old information is sometimes pushed out of the brain.

    Previous studies have shown that learning new information can lead to {#blank#}1{#/blank#}. But in a new study, researchers showed for the first time how this effect {#blank#}2{#/blank#} in the brain.

    In daily life, forgetting actually has clear {#blank#}3{#/blank#}. Imagine, for instance, that you lost your bank card. The new card you receive will come with a new personal identification number (PIN). Each time you remember the new PIN, you gradually forget the old one. This process improves access to {#blank#}4{#/blank#} information, without old memories interfering.

    And most of us may sometimes feel {#blank#}5{#/blank#} when old memories interfere with new, relevant memories. Consider trying to remember where you parked your car in the same car park you were at a week earlier. This type of memory is particularly interfering.

    When we get new information, the brain automatically tries to combine it with existing information by {#blank#}6{#/blank#} associations. And when we retrieve（检索）information, both the desired and {#blank#}7{#/blank#} but irrelevant information is recalled.

    The majority of previous research has focused on how we learn and remember new information. But current studies are beginning to put greater {#blank#}8{#/blank#} on the conditions under which we forget, as its importance begins to be more appreciated.

    A very small number of people are able to remember almost every detail of their life. Though it may sound like an advantage to many, people with this rare condition often find their {#blank#}9{#/blank#} ability troublesome. In a sense, normal forgetting may help to ensure our brain doesn't become too full.