Google is changing the way people remember things, according to a new study.
 
People have historically relied on other sources to help them remember forgotten facts, often times seeking out other people to help them jog their memory.

However, a new study conducted by Colombian University psychologist Betsy Sparrow suggests the Internet is replacing those people.

Often when someone is trying to remember a fact they go straight to an Internet search engine.
     
Sparrow suggests that having the Internet as a resource for facts frees up people's brains to become more creative in how they receive and impart information.

"Perhaps those who teach in any context, be they college professors, doctors or business leaders, will become increasingly focused on imparting greater understanding of ideas and ways of thinking, and less focused on memorization," said Sparrow.  

"And perhaps those who learn will become less occupied with facts and more engaged in larger questions of understanding," she said.

The study, titled "Google Effects on Memory: Cognitive Consequences of Having Information at Our Fingertips," was published July 14 in the magazine Science.