Have tech gadgets and the Internet rewired our brains to be antisocial tech nerds?

The connection between excessive computer time and a lackluster social life is not exactly a new concept, but a new book from UCLA psychiatrist Gary Small suggests that recent technological innovations are impacting our brain chemistry as much as our habits.

"Because of the current technological revolution, our brains are evolving right now--at a speed like never before," Small writes in 'iBrain: Surviving the Technological Alternation of the Modern Mind.'

That speed is not necessarily a good thing, he argues. The number of people ages 18 to 34 who read books for pleasure has declined by 28 percent since 1982. Visits to national parks has also declined, while an increased reliance on Internet interaction has reduced peoples' ability to read facial expressions.

"With the weakening of the brain's neural circuitry controlling human contact, our social interactions may become awkward, and we tend to misinterpret, and even miss subtle, nonverbal messages," Small writes.

Small suggests that the brains of individuals who have grown up with technology--dubbed the Digital Natives--differ greatly from Digital Immigrants--those who are learning about technology as they go along.

"We are witnessing the beginning of a deeply divided brain gap between younger and older minds--in just one generation," according to Small. "What used to be simply a generation gap that separated young people's values, music, and habits from those of their parents has now become a huge divide resulting in two separate cultures."

Are we doomed? Not exactly. "We don't all have to become techno-zombies, nor do we need to trash our computers and go back to writing long-hand," he writes. "Instead, we all should help our brains adapt and succeed in this ever-accelerating technological environment."

I read an excerpt of Small's book on Amazon.com and am writing this for a blog rather than a traditional print publication, so I'm not sure how much I'm helping my brain adapt and succeed.

AP notes, however, that back in the day, Socrates bemoaned the introduction of written word as a more superficial way of learning than live debates. So maybe we need to just calm down and let things evolve.