Jan 23, 2009 10:45 pm US/Eastern
MIT Study: Blackberry Addiction Leads To Stress
BOSTON (WBZ) ―
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President-elect Barack Obama holds his BlackBerry device in this July 7, 2008 photo.
Alex Brandon/AP/Getty Images
Now that President Barack Obama has insisted on being the first president with a Blackberry, some are questioning whether it's a healthy choice.
We've all heard the term, "crackberry", referring to the gadget's addictive qualities.
One study, authored by professors at M.I.T.'s Sloan School of Management, found too much Blackberry use can cause serious stress.
"It's very helpful for getting information quickly and getting the ball rolling for things," says Melissa Mazmanian, a researcher for the study. "But sometimes you need to think about stuff at work and it doesn't always lend itself to real reflection if you know that someone's waiting for your answer."
As a result of the MIT studies, some companies are looking at forcing employees to take breaks from their blackberries at certain times of the day, possibly to turn them off or put them in a box. But Mazmanian says the addiction is so strong that no company has been able to do that yet.
As for Obama, she says it probably won't hurt his ability to govern, "As long as he is able to distance himself enough to make clear, reflective, thoughtful decisions, which he obviously seems to be a very capable man...I don't know the effect it's going to have, or it's currently having on his family life."
Michelle Obama was once seen slapping her husband's hands as he checked e-mail on a hand-held device during his daughter's soccer game.
Historians say anything the president writes in his e-mails has historic value and must be saved. But Americans will have to wait as long as 20 years to read them.
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