Walk down just about any hall of any dorm and hear the same sounds -- the sing-song rings of cell phones, the high-pitched electronic "blips" and "bleeps" of computers and occasionally even the annoying beeping of an alarm clock that someone forgot to shut off.
The average college student is used to this type of environment, but some researchers warn that it can be taxing. Recent studies show that constantly being surrounded by technology might lead to technology-related stress, or "techno-stress."
Origins
"Scientists who study stress are growing increasingly concerned about the effects of technology on people's ability to relax," said Laura C. Klein, assistant professor of biobehavioral health.
The term "techno-stress" was coined by psychologist Craig Brod in 1984. Since then, some scientists, including Frank Ritter, assistant professor of information sciences and technology, have done studies on human interaction with modern technology.
Ritter said techno-stress can result from two different factors.
One factor is the lack of knowledge and understanding of modern technology.
"Novices may be worried about using 'new' technology because they don't know enough about it," he said, comparing this to the anxiety one might feel if he or she did not understand a math problem the rest of the class understood. "In this case, it's a task that you don't want to deal with, but you can handle it if you don't panic."
The other factor involves time constraints and the desire to do many things at once, or multi-tasking, he said.
Multi-tasking
Many college students have become experts at multi-tasking. They read and send e-mail while downloading music, surfing the Internet, talking to friends through instant messenger programs, chatting on cell phones and checking their agendas on electronic organizers.
While it might seem that multi-tasking will make a person more productive, it can actually do the opposite if it causes the individual to feel overwhelmed, Ritter said.
"People are multi-tasking more today, which becomes a source of stress because it makes them more prone to error, especially if they are interrupted," he said.
This is not the message that some modern industries are sending out, however. For instance, cell phones now come with such features as voice-activated dialing, e-mail capabilities, Internet connections and hands-free earpieces. So, in addition to driving while talking on the phone, one can also check e-mail, stocks and the score of the football game.
"Between cell phones, pagers and computers, it's an information overload," Klein said.
Increased expectations
Ritter related this burden to college students, explaining that since there are more resources available today than in the past, students now face more expectations.
"The standard of what is expected of students has gone up with the increase in the amount of resources," he said.
Anne Laux (sophomore-science) said she experienced difficulty last year while working on a lab write-up for her chemistry class.
"I had to scan some graphics into the write-up, and then the file was so big I couldn't transfer it from my computer to a CAC (Center for Academic Computing) lab computer to print it out," she said.
She said she was unable to save the file onto a disk or send it to herself via e-mail because it was so large.
"I ended up having to delete the pictures off the file and then rescan them once I was in the CAC lab," she said. "When I finally left there the sun was coming up. It was the only all-nighter I've ever pulled."
Amalie Tuerk (sophomore-chemical engineering) said she feels the effects of techno-stress every day -- sometimes twice a day -- when she checks her e-mail.
"I get at least 15 e-mails a day," she said.
She said many of them are from classes and clubs, which are especially stressful because she often reads them right after she returns from classes.
Reacting
"You just think, 'When does it end?' " she said.
However, Ritter pointed out that technology itself is not the cause of techno-stress; rather, the individual's reaction to the technology is the problem.
"Stress is not due to the environment -- it arises from the person's response to the environment," he said. "Technology is not good or bad; it's just there."
Managing stresses
Like any other type of anxiety, there are ways to reduce techno-stress.
"Many students use e-mail, instant messages and the Internet at the same time, but what they should do is set aside separate times for each," Klein said.
Students should also turn off their televisions and cell phones, and avoid other distractions when it is time to study, she said.
She suggested using voicemail instead of answering the phone all the time, as well as categorizing e-mail into groups according to importance.
"Decide what demands an urgent response, what can wait until tomorrow and what can wait until the weekend," she said.
She said that setting up a schedule, and then sticking to it, can help diminish stress.
"It gives you a sense of predictability and control," she said. "It's all about managing and scheduling your technology invasion."
Ritter said one of the most important techniques for reducing techno-stress is learning to respond to stressors.
"If you are interrupted, pause, and then deal with the interruption," he said. "When you are involved in things like tasks and conversations, you must put them aside carefully."
He added it is also necessary to set realistic goals and budget available time.
"Focus on one thing: what should you be working on?" he said.
He also pointed out that stress could be helpful in some situations.
Advantages
"A little bit of stress or arousal can be useful, but performance only improves up to a certain point," he said.
He explained that no arousal produces a mediocre performance while a moderate challenge results in an optimal performance.
"Physiologically, a little stress increases your heart rate and raises your level of interest and attention," he said.
However, a large amount of stress impedes performance, he said.
"This is sometimes why teams call time-outs in games," he said. "If a basketball player is about to make an important free-throw, the other team might call a time-out to allow the opponent to reflect on what they are about to do and make them more stressed about it."
Effects
But he said techno-stress is not defined clearly enough to be able to fully realize its effects.
"Physiological elements of stress, like heart rate and blood pressure, are more absolute than impressions of people who say they feel stressed," he said.
He said more studies should be done to find out what actually happens to people who say they experience techno-stress.
"For example, do these people make more mistakes or behave differently?" he said.
It is possible that more studies will be done in the near future since many experts feel techno-stress is a growing problem.
"It is infiltrating our lives in so many areas," Klein said.
But many students are thankful for the capacities of modern technology.
Tuerk, like many students, said she uses her computer for both academic and social reasons.
"I use it to communicate through e-mail and instant messages, and also to do work for my classes," she said. "If it stopped working I wouldn't know what to do with myself."
But there are also disadvantages to having a personal computer.
"It can be a huge distraction sometimes," Tuerk said.
However she said she feels that modern technology is more of a blessing than a burden.
"I recently got a cell phone, and it has made getting in touch with people so much easier," she said.
"The only time it feels like a burden is [the fact that] people can always get in touch with you, and there is a slight lack of privacy and peace."
But she added that most of the time she likes to be accessible in case anyone needs to talk.
Klein said adolescents have become more comfortable with having technology in many aspects of their lives, and future generations may even become immune to techno-stress.
"[Younger people] might be affected differently than adults because they might learn to handle it better," she said.
"Humans are very adaptive, and the more flexible portion of the population might be able to grow accustomed to the demands [of modern technology]."
But she also said it is difficult to make a prediction like that because technology is constantly changing.
"If technology stayed the same, we would all eventually grow accustomed to it," she said. "But technology changes, so we really don't know what is down the road."
