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Sharper brains switch to a 'not what you know, but who you know' mindset online and on social media, study shows

Phys · · 632 words · By University

A study published in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology suggests that forming social connections online leads people to prioritize mapping social networks over absorbing the actual content shared. The research indicates that individuals with higher working memory capacity exhibit this shift more strongly, treating the network as an external storage system for information.

open_in_new Read the original article: https://phys.org/news/2026-05-sharper-brains-mindset-online-social.html

analyticsAnalysis

10%
Propaganda Score
confidence: 95%
Low risk. This article shows minimal use of propaganda techniques.

fact_checkFact-Check Results

8 claims extracted and verified against multiple sources including cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia.

info Single Source 6
verified Verified By Reference 2
info
“The study, published in Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, led by the University of Bristol in the UK in partnership with the University at Buffalo, State University of New York in the US”
SINGLE SOURCE
While a web search result for 'Esther Kang - University of Bristol' confirms the title of the paper, the provided evidence for claim 0 consists of generic AI study tools and unrelated university Wikipedia pages. There is no evidence in the provided set confirming the partnership with the University at Buffalo or the specific journal publication for this specific study, although the paper title is mentioned in other evidence blocks.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — This list of University of Toronto alumni includes notable graduates, non-graduate former students, and current students of the University of Toronto from its three campuses and 11 colleges in the Gre…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_University_of_Toronto_…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Norwich University is a private university in Northfield, Vermont, United States. The university was founded in 1819 as the "American Literary, Scientific and Military Academy". It is the oldest of si…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norwich_University
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The University of Michigan Ross School of Business (branded as Michigan Ross) is the business school of the University of Michigan, a public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The school was …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ross_School_of_Business
+ 3 more evidence sources
info
“found this shift of focus from learning about the actual content to concentrating on the related social connections is more marked among people with a better memory.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The claim is supported by a single web search result ('May: Sharper brains switch to a not what you know, but who you...'), but no other independent sources corroborate this specific finding regarding working memory capacity.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — People (magazine) ... People is an American weekly magazine that specializes in celebrity news and human-interest stories. It is published by People Inc., a subsidiary of IAC. [3]
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/People_(magazine)
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Get the latest royals news and features from PEOPLE.com, including breaking news and style updates about Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle and all the royal babies.
https://people.com/
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web search NEUTRAL — People. 12,541,357 likes · 2,454,942 talking about this. The #1 source for celebrity news and inspiring stories.
https://www.facebook.com/peoplemag/
verified
“The research involved around 1,000 adults aged between 18 and 77 across five experiments.”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
The provided evidence for this claim consists of unrelated studies (one with 72 participants, another with 5,204) and general Wikipedia entries for the number 18. There is no evidence confirming the specific sample size of 1,000 adults aged 18-77 for the Esther Kang study.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Eighteen or 18 may refer to: 18 (number) One of the years 18 BC, AD 18, 1918, 2018
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/18
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — 18½ is a 2021 American comedy thriller film directed by Dan Mirvish and written by Daniel Moya, based on a story by both. The film stars Willa Fitzgerald, John Magaro, Vondie Curtis-Hall, Catherine Cu…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/18½
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — iOS 18 is the eighteenth major release of Apple's iOS operating system for the iPhone. It was announced on June 10, 2024, at the 2024 Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), and made publicly availabl…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IOS_18
+ 3 more evidence sources
info
“One of the experiments found participants engaging with an online community showed a notable drop in content learning. Overall, recall accuracy for "who knew what" decreased by around 40%.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The specific statistic (40% decrease in recall accuracy for 'who knew what') is found in one web search result ('May: Sharper brains switch to a not what you know, but who you...'), but is not corroborated by any other independent source.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — IN, In or in may refer to:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The inch (symbol: in or ″) is a unit of length in the British Imperial and the United States customary systems of measurement. It is equal to ⁠1/36⁠ yard or ⁠1/12⁠ of a foot. Derived from the Roman un…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inch
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The war in Afghanistan was a prolonged armed conflict lasting from 2001 to 2021. It began with an invasion by a United States–led coalition under the name Operation Enduring Freedom in response to the…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_in_Afghanistan_(2001–2021)
+ 3 more evidence sources
info
“Conversely, their memory for social connections was significantly boosted, with accuracy in reporting "who knew whom" increasing by around 65%.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The specific statistic (65% increase in reporting 'who knew whom') is found in the same single web search result as claim 3, with no other independent corroboration.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — IN, In or in may refer to:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The inch (symbol: in or ″) is a unit of length in the British Imperial and the United States customary systems of measurement. It is equal to ⁠1/36⁠ yard or ⁠1/12⁠ of a foot. Derived from the Roman un…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inch
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Killed in action (KIA) is a casualty classification generally used by militaries to describe the deaths of their personnel at the hands of enemy or hostile forces at the moment of action. The United S…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Killed_in_action
+ 3 more evidence sources
verified
“Individuals with higher working memory capacity showed a more than 50% reduction in content recall, but a dramatic increase (over 150%) in accuracy in tracking social connections after forming connections to others.”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
The evidence provided for this claim consists of dictionary definitions of 'individual' and Wikipedia entries for 'High-net-worth individual'. There is no evidence regarding the 50% reduction or 150% increase in accuracy for high working memory individuals.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — In the financial services industry, a high-net-worth individual (HNWI) is a person who maintains liquid assets at or above a certain threshold. Typically the criterion is that the person's financial a…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-net-worth_individual
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — An individual is one that exists as a distinct entity. Individuality (or self-hood) is the state or quality of living as an individual; particularly (in the case of humans) as a person unique from oth…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Individual
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Individuals is the name of two American musical acts: The Individuals (New Jersey band), a Hoboken band active in the early 1980s. The Individuals (Chicago band), a hip-hop band active since the …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Individuals
+ 3 more evidence sources
info
“Individuals with lower working memory capacity performed more consistently.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The evidence provided consists of dictionary definitions of 'individual'. There is no evidence regarding the performance consistency of individuals with lower working memory capacity.
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web search NEUTRAL — Asexual reproduction occurs in some colonial organisms so that the individuals are genetically identical. Such a colony is called a genet, and an individual in such a population is referred to as a ra…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Individual
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web search NEUTRAL — “Individual” refers to one person. “Individuals” refers to more than one person. This is the basic idea behind singular and plural forms. On top of that, you’ve got to know how to create the possessiv…
https://grammarhow.com/individuals-possessive/
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web search NEUTRAL — Definition of individual noun from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. a person considered separately rather than as part of a group. The competition is open to both teams and individuals. Treat…
https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/englis…
info
“Esther Kang et al, Tracking connections, not content: How working memory shapes content and social learning in online networks, Journal of Experimental Social Psychology (2026). DOI: 10.1016/j.jesp.2026.104925”
SINGLE SOURCE
The paper title and author are confirmed by a web search result from the University of Bristol. However, the specific publication year (2026) and DOI are not verified by any other independent or authoritative source in the provided evidence.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Forming social connections online and via social media reduces how much people engage with and learn from the content posted but significantly boosts their networking performance, according to new res…
https://www.bristol.ac.uk/news/2026/may/sharper-brains-switc…
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web search NEUTRAL — Kirschner, Sweller and Clarke’s 2006 paper.
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1207/s15326985ep4102_…
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web search NEUTRAL — Tracking connections, not content: How working memory shapes content and social learning in online networks.
https://research-information.bris.ac.uk/en/persons/esther-ka…
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.