Every day, the average person consumes around 7.5 hours of media and 74 gigabytesA unit of storage capacity. Researchers calculate this statistic by assigning rough values in these terms to words as well as computer data. of data. This is enough information to fill nine DVDs and roughly an eightfold increase since the pre-internet age. And we must also act on this information: researchers estimate that we make around 35,000 decisions each day. Never have our brains been put to such constant work.

Now, as a flurry of books and articles on the subject shows, academics are starting to grapple with the consequences of this barrage of information and choice. And much of the research suggests that our animal brains are simply overwhelmed by the volume of stuff we are trying to absorb - and the many small choices we must make.

It may seem as though we can pay attention to many things at once, but neuroscientistNeuroscience is the study of the brain and nervous system. There is a lot of overlap between neuroscience and psychology, but neuroscientists tend to focus more on the way that nerves function. Earl Miller argues that this is an illusion: "When people think they're multitasking, they're actually just switching from one task to another very rapidly," he says. Instead of taking in more information, we are failing to properly focus on anything at all.

This can have alarming effects. One recent study showed that trainee pilots who were asked to focus on many tasks at once frequently failed to notice the alarm warning of a crisis during a flight simulation.

"Information overload" and "decision fatigue" have significant day-to-day effects on our brains. When your attention is disrupted (for instance by receiving notifications from your phone) your functional IQA means of measuring human intelligence. A person's IQ is usually ascertained by making them sit a standardised test. Some have criticised these tests as a means of evaluating intelligence, claiming that they ignore much of what it means to be intelligent. drops by 10 points. Multitasking also stimulates the production of the stress hormoneChemicals carried in the bloodstream that alter the way your body's systems act.  cortisol and the fight or flight hormone adrenaline - which can over time significantly impact physical and mental health.

Some experts think that technology can be part of the solution as well as part of the problem. Emily Willingham, author of the recent book The Tailored Brain, argues that gadgets can be made to act as "buddies" for our brain, storing information and dealing with small problems so that we don't have to.

Willingham says that the more of our mental workload we give to computers (such as storing dates, schedules and phone numbers) the more we are free to focus on the things that really matter to us. She even suggests that the capacity of technology to "free up cognitive spaceAbsorbing information, concentrating and making decisions all use up your biological resources: just like a muscle, the brain has limits to how much it can take on. " has led to a sharp rise in intelligence since the mid-20th Century.

Other experts, however, advocate a return to simpler ways of being. Arthur C Brooks, an expert in the social science of happiness, says that the secret to wellbeing lies in advice "your grandmother might've told you". The things that research has shown to reliably improve happiness include:

Invest in relationships: Spend your time and money on experiences rather than material things.

Stay active: Exercise is strongly linked with good mental health, and keeping your brain active also helps.

Be kind: It's for your own benefit as well as others - the brain sends rewards for generous and agreeable interactions.

Bask in nature: Being in a forest is proven to dramatically reduce stress.

One thing all of these tips have in common is a turn away from our gadgets and a focus on the direct experience of our companions, our environments and ourselves.

Yes: The deluge of information in modern life just causes needless noise and unnecessary choices. The only cure is to put down our phones and get back to basics.

No: Technology is the solution, not the problem: the more life admin our gadgets can take on, the more we will be freed from the tyranny of choice.

Or... The problem is not the technology itself, but the way tech companies exploit techniques for monopolising our attention. We need a new internet that ensures we use the power of computers to liberate rather than enslave us.