14/04/2009

Using Twitter and Facebook could impact a person's moral compass, new research has claimed.

According to findings from a study by the Brain and Creativity Institute at the University of Southern California, certain mental processes are more well-suited to the pace of social networking websites and the digital media as opposed to others.

The study showed that while humans can rationalise information and respond to physical pain in others quickly, attributes such as admiration and compassion take longer to process.

Mary Helen Immordino-Yang, first author of the report, said: 'For some kinds of thought, especially moral decision-making about other people's social and psychological situations, we need to allow for adequate time and reflection.'

The study suggested that with the upsurge in the use of social networking and the increased pace of the media, humans are not having enough time to reflect on the full impact of certain events or news.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Online Early Edition is expected to publish the full report in an edition launched next week.