Scientists are discovering that even after computer multitasking ends, fractured thinking, diminished empathy, and lack of focus persist.

“The technology is rewiring our brains,”
said Nora Volkow, director of the National Institute of Drug Abuse and one of the world’s leading brain scientists. She and other researchers compare the lure of digital stimulation less to that of drugs and alcohol than to food and sex, which are essential but counterproductive in excess.