A study made by University of Sussex found that men and women who frequently used several types of technology at the same time had less grey matter in a key part of the brain . The researchers said : " Simultaneously , using mobile phones , laptops and other media devices could change the structure of our brains . " Worryingly , the part of the brain that shrinks is involved in processing emotion . The finding has linked multi-tasking with a shortened attention span , depression , anxiety and lower grades at school . The researchers began by asking 75 healthy men and women how often they divided their attention between different types of technology . This could mean sending a text message while listening to music and checking email , or speaking on the phone while watching TV and surfing the web . The volunteers were then given brain scans which showed they had less grey matter in a region called the anterior cingulated cortex ( ACC ) . The findings held even when differences in personality were taken into account . The study , published in the journal PLOS ONE , is the first to make a link between multi-tasking and the structure of the brain . Researcher KepKeeLoh said : " Media multi-tasking is become more popular in our lives today and there is growing concern about its impacts on our cognition and social-emotional well-being . " He added that more researches are needed to prove that multi-tasking shrinks the brain . This is because it is also possible that people with less grey matter in the ACC are more likely to use lots of devices simultaneously . Scientists have previously described brain structure can be altered on prolonged exposure to new environments and experience . Other studies have shown that training - such as learning magic or taxi drivers learning the map of London - can increase grey matter densities in certain parts . What can we learn about grey matter from the passage ?
Watching the TV for a long time can reduce grey matter . The decrease of grey matter in the ACC affects emotion . People with less grey matter prefer to use media devices . Taxi drivers in London have more grey matter than others .