Peer-reviewed research on the cognitive skills and recovery practices that shape sustainable work: what holds up, what is still emerging, and where the hype runs ahead of the evidence.
2 briefs · newest research first
Knowledge workers reported that AI shifts critical thinking toward verification, integration, and task stewardship; greater confidence in AI predicted less reported critical scrutiny.
Caveat. This is self-reported survey evidence, not a causal test of whether AI use reduces cognitive ability.
Across available experiments, a smartphone’s mere presence had no meaningful average effect on cognitive outcomes—challenging a popular productivity claim.
Caveat. This addresses physical proximity, not notifications, active use, compulsive checking, or sleep disruption.
New briefs, honest revisions, and the occasional finding that makes a popular performance claim less certain.