--- title: "French Scientists: Daily ChatGPT Use Linked to Memory Decline and Social Isolation" description: "French researchers linked daily ChatGPT use to impaired memory and social isolation among young people, but noted that selective use of AI conversely boosts creativity." date: 2026-09-04T14:34:01.000Z lang: en url: https://xab.info/en/posts/chatgpt-impact-on-brain-study tags: [chatgpt, artificial-intelligence, cognitive-psychology, memory, social-isolation] publisher: "XAB.info" --- # French Scientists: Daily ChatGPT Use Linked to Memory Decline and Social Isolation ![Person with digital code on their face, symbolizing AI dependency and memory loss](https://xab.info/media/2026/09/04/chatgpt-vliyanie-na-mozg-issledovanie/chatgpt-vliyanie-na-mozg-issledovanie-1.webp) ## 🎯 Key Points - A study in Applied Cognitive Psychology (ISC Paris, 45 respondents aged 18–25) linked daily ChatGPT use to "cognitive offloading" and impaired memory. - Active users more often preferred interacting with the bot over live contact, which led to loneliness and social isolation. - Selective use of AI as a brainstorming tool, conversely, increased self-confidence and creativity. - The authors point to the small sample and narrow age group and call for larger-scale studies. Daily interaction with neural-network assistants may be quietly reshaping how the human brain works. French researchers, who published their work in the journal Applied Cognitive Psychology, concluded that excessive reliance on AI assistants is associated with impaired memory and increased social isolation. This is reported by RBC-Ukraine, citing the study's findings. ### What exactly the researchers studied The study was authored by researcher Zeinab Farhat from the ISC Paris business school. The survey included 45 young people aged 18 to 25 who use ChatGPT daily — for learning, work, or personal needs. The sample was deliberately limited to a single age group, which, as the authors themselves note, limits the ability to generalize the results to a broader audience of users. ### "Cognitive offloading": how AI displaces one's own thinking The key term recorded in the study is so-called "cognitive offloading" — a state in which a person fully delegates the storage and processing of information to an external tool. Instead of retaining knowledge in their own memory and spending effort analyzing it, the user relies on the chatbot. According to the study, it is precisely this habit of "switching off" one's own cognitive effort that is associated with impaired memory among active users. ### Social isolation as a side effect Beyond the cognitive consequences, the scientists also recorded a social effect. Some active users preferred interacting with the chatbot over live discussions with friends, teachers, or colleagues. Gradually, this substitution of real contact with synthetic contact led to feelings of loneliness and social isolation, which, according to the authors, may also exacerbate general self-doubt. ### Not all is gloom: selective use At the same time, the results are not unambiguously negative. Participants who used ChatGPT selectively — as a tool for brainstorming and finding inspiration, rather than as a replacement for their own analysis — conversely reported increased self-confidence and improved creativity. Thus, it is the nature of use, rather than the mere fact of turning to AI, that serves as the key factor influencing cognitive and social well-being. ### Contradictory data In the public coverage of the work, positions diverge. On the one hand, a number of outlets present the study as proof that ChatGPT "kills thinking skills and dulls creativity," emphasizing the risks of cognitive offloading. On the other hand, the authors themselves stress that creativity and self-confidence increased among those who used the assistant in moderation, rather than as a substitute for their own analysis. Moreover, due to the small sample (45 people) and the restriction to a single age group, the conclusions cannot be extrapolated to all users. The difference between the phrasings "AI harms thinking" and "AI harms when over-relied upon" is substantial, and it is precisely this that determines how accurate the sensational headlines are. ### Limitations and a call for new research The authors honestly point out the methodological limitations: the small sample size and the narrow age range do not allow the results to be generalized to the entire population of AI users. The scientists call on the scientific community to conduct larger-scale and longer-term studies of the impact of neural-network assistants on the human psyche, in order to distinguish durable effects from short-term and situational ones. ## 🔍 Fact-Check Verification - [ChatGPT instead of your own thoughts: scientists discover a dangerous dependency](https://www.rbc.ua/ukr/news/chatgpt-zamist-vlasnih-dumok-vcheni-viyavili-1788526591.html) - Базовый источник: методология (45 респондентов 18–25 лет, ISC Paris), понятие «когнитивная разгрузка», социальные последствия и оговорки о выборке. - [Study links heavy ChatGPT dependency to increased self-doubt and ...](https://www.notebookcheck-ru.com/Issledovanie-svjazyvaet-silnuju-zavisimost-ot-ChatGPT-s-usileniem-neuverennosti-v-sebe-i-socialnoi-izoljaciei.1387881.0.html) - Подтверждает связь сильной зависимости с неуверенностью в себе и социальной изоляцией. - [ChatGPT may be killing important human skills: scientists find alarming evidence](https://www.obozrevatel.com/nauka-oboz/chatgpt-mozhet-ubivat-vazhnyie-umeniya-lyudej-uchenyie-nashli-trevozhnyie-dokazatelstva.htm) - Подтверждает существование работы, но заголовок усиливает формулировку («убивает умения») относительно осторожных выводов авторов. - [Study: ChatGPT kills thinking skills and dulls creativity](https://www.sport-express.ru/zozh/health/news/issledovanie-chatgpt-ubivaet-navyki-myshleniya-i-prituplyaet-kreativnost-2336672/) - Заголовок противоречит части данных: авторы отмечают рост креативности у дозированных пользователей, а не её общее притупление. ## ❓ FAQ ### Q: How many people took part in the study? **A:** The survey included 45 young people aged 18 to 25 who use ChatGPT daily. ### Q: What is "cognitive offloading"? **A:** It is a state in which a person fully delegates the storage and analysis of information to an external tool (a chatbot), without retaining it in their own memory. ### Q: Does ChatGPT always harm thinking? **A:** No. According to the study, selective use of AI as a tool for brainstorming and inspiration, rather than a replacement for one's own analysis, conversely increased self-confidence and creativity. ### Q: Can the conclusions be generalized to all users? **A:** No. The authors point to the small sample and the restriction to a single age group and call for larger-scale and longer-term studies.