Is data overload freezing your brain?

When we feel overwhelmed we start to delay making decisions.We've really seen this incredible amount of information flooding us constantly. The problem with information overload is really new to the human brain. This ultimately has huge implications for us both personally, and in terms of business - with obvious implications for productivity.

When we're in a stressful situation, cortisol, the stress hormone rises. One of the jobs of cortisol is to work with the neurotransmitters. So when it is up we experience memory loss, depression, high blood pressure.And the rate at which we are bombarded with data on a daily basis is increasing exponentially.

According to Cisco's Visual Networking Index, average global IP traffic in 2015 will reach 245 terabytes per second, equivalent to 200m people streaming an HD movie at the same time every day.Within the next three years, there will be nearly 15bn network connections via devices and nearly 3bn internet users, which constitute more than 40% of the world's population.

So short of switching off the PC and going out and doing something more interesting instead, what can we do about it?

One option solution is to present data visually. If you present data visually it has much more impact and the brain finds it much easier to process. 

The visual brain is this incredibly flexible and adaptable design to help us see and remember and make sense of everything around us.If we can stop feeling overwhelmed ... we can actually start enjoying this information, and by enjoying it we might be able to increase our brain capacity because we're using it better.