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IS AN ostrich鈥檚 eye bigger than its brain? This kind of trivia question was once a cognitive workout, but when was the last time you really pondered a question, rather than simply turning to the internet for help? Then there are phone numbers and friends鈥� birthdays: information we once stored in our brain is now held in the smartphone in the palm of our hand.

Outsourcing memories, for instance to pad and paper, is nothing new, but it has become easier than ever to do so using external devices, leading some to wonder whether our memories are suffering as a result.

Probably the largest data dump is of snapshots of events, whether it is thousands of photos posted on social media or status updates documenting our lives. You might think that taking pictures and sharing stories helps you to preserve memories of events, but the opposite is true. When at Princeton University and her colleagues sent people out on tours, those encouraged to take pictures actually had a . 鈥淐reating a hard copy of an experience through media leaves only a diminished copy in our own heads,鈥� she says.

People who rely on a satellite navigation system to get around are also worse at working out where they have been than those who use maps.

The mere expectation of information being at our fingertips seems to have an effect. When we think something can be accessed later, regardless of whether we will be tested on it, we have of the information itself and enhanced recall instead for where to access it.

鈥淭hese kinds of studies suggest that technology is changing our memories,鈥� says . 鈥淲e increasingly don鈥檛 need to remember content, but instead, where to find it.鈥�

In some instances, this could be useful. When people were given two lists of words and asked to memorise them each in 20 seconds, those who were allowed to save the first list on a computer rather than deleting it before moving on to the next, could at a later date. It seemed as if cognitive offloading freed up vital brain resources that allowed them to better memorise new information.

But relying too heavily on devices can mess with our appreciation of how good our memory actually is. We are constantly making judgements about whether something is worth storing in mind. Will I remember this tomorrow? Does it need to be written down? Should I set a reminder? This is called meta-memory, and technology seems to screw it up.

For instance, people who can access the internet to help them answer general knowledge questions, such as 鈥淗ow does a zip work?鈥�, overestimate how much information they think they have remembered, as well as their knowledge of unrelated topics after the test, compared with people who answered the questions without going online. You lose touch with what came from you and what came from the machine. 鈥淭hese are subtle biases that may not matter too much if you continue to have access to external resources,鈥� says Gilbert. 鈥淏ut if those resources disappear 鈥� in an exam, inan emergency, in a technological catastrophe 鈥� we may underestimate how much we would struggle without them. Having accurate insight into how good your memory actually is, is just as important as having a good memory in the first place.鈥�

For now, technology seems to be tweaking rather than upending our capacity for memory, but if the interface between us and devices merges more in the future, 鈥渢he brain will really begin to adapt in ways we can鈥檛 anticipate right now鈥�, says Martin Conway, director of the Centre for Memory and Law at City, University of London (see 鈥�Can you supercharge your memory?鈥�).

So if you are ever again asked about an ostrich brain, try the encyclopaedia in your head before reaching for your phone. Just remember, the answer is yes.

This article appeared in print under the headline 鈥淚s technology making my memory worse?鈥�