How Google Tricks You Into Thinking You're Smarter

By Jack Linshi

April 1, 2015

Searching the Internet may inflate your perception of how knowledgeable you are, a new study says.

Researchers found that participants using Google search to answer specific questions believed they could later answer unrelated questions more accurately, according to a study in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, published online Monday.

Even when participants couldn’t find answers on the Internet, they still felt an increased self-assessment of how much knowledge they had. As a result, people may unintentionally exaggerate how much information they can recall on their own, the study said.

“It becomes easier to confuse your own knowledge with this external source,” said lead researcher Matthew Fisher of Yale University. “When people are truly on their own, they may be wildly inaccurate about how much they know and how dependent they are on the Internet.”

The study adds to existing research that suggests searching the Internet for information creates an increase in “cognitive self-esteem,” though not necessarily an increase in intelligence.

Read next: 11 Google Tricks That Will Change the Way You Search

See Google Doodles Through the Years

<strong>Aug. 26, 2015</strong> For the 70th anniversary of <a href="http://time.com/4010860/la-tomatina-70th-anniversary/" target="_blank">La Tomatina.</a>

Aug. 26, 2015 For the 70th anniversary of La Tomatina.

Google

<strong>May 26, 2015</strong> In celebration of the 64th birthday of
<a href="http://time.com/3895806/sally-ride-google-doodle-astronaut-nasa-first-woman-space/" target="_blank">Sally Ride,</a> the first American woman in space.

May 26, 2015 In celebration of the 64th birthday of Sally Ride, the first American woman in space.

Google

<strong>March 31, 2015</strong> Honoring the 126th anniversary of the public opening of the<a href="http://time.com/3764708/eiffel-tower-open-public-1889-google-doodle/" target="_blank"> Eiffel Tower.</a>

March 31, 2015 Honoring the 126th anniversary of the public opening of the Eiffel Tower.

Google

<strong>Mar. 20, 2015</strong> To celebrate the start of spring and the vernal equinox, Google created a stop-motion animation of flowers in bloom.

Mar. 20, 2015 To celebrate the start of spring and the vernal equinox, Google created a stop-motion animation of flowers in bloom.

Google

<strong>Nov. 12, 2014</strong> For the landing of the Philae lander, the first spacecraft on a moving comet, Google created a gyrating lander with passing stars.

Nov. 12, 2014 For the landing of the Philae lander, the first spacecraft on a moving comet, Google created a gyrating lander with passing stars.

Google

<strong>Sept. 9, 2014</strong> For <a href="http://time.com/3308635/google-doodle-tolstoy/" target="_blank">Tolstoy's 186th birthday, </a> the Google Doodle team created an appropriately long click-through doodle.

Sept. 9, 2014 For Tolstoy's 186th birthday, the Google Doodle team created an appropriately long click-through doodle.

Google

<strong>May 27, 2014</strong> For the <a href="http://time.com/118453/rachel-louise-carson-google-doodle/" target="_blank">Rachel Louise Carson doodle</a>, the team surrounded her with birds and sea creatures to celebrate her 107th birthday.

May 27, 2014 For the Rachel Louise Carson doodle, the team surrounded her with birds and sea creatures to celebrate her 107th birthday.

Google

<strong>May 4 2014</strong> For <a href="http://time.com/87152/google-doodle-audrey-hepburn/" target="_blank"> Audrey Hepburn's 85th birthday,</a> the doodle team adapted an image from a 1956 black and white photograph taken by Yousuf Karsh.

May 4 2014 For Audrey Hepburn's 85th birthday, the doodle team adapted an image from a 1956 black and white photograph taken by Yousuf Karsh.

Google

June 9, 2011 The doodlers came up with the idea of a playable logo, then pegged it to guitar innovator Les Paul's 96th birthday. Turning on composer mode allows you to create songs that you can share online.

Google

<strong>March 24, 2011</strong> The Harry Houdini doodle was created in the style of the old posters advertising the death-defying magician.

March 24, 2011 The Harry Houdini doodle was created in the style of the old posters advertising the death-defying magician.

Google

<strong>Nov. 25, 2010</strong> Chef Ina Garten prepared this Thanksgiving feast, which Google photographed. If you clicked on a dish, her recipe appeared.

Nov. 25, 2010 Chef Ina Garten prepared this Thanksgiving feast, which Google photographed. If you clicked on a dish, her recipe appeared.

Google

<strong>May 7, 2010</strong> Google asked the San Francisco Ballet to pose and twirl to re-create Pyotr Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake.

May 7, 2010 Google asked the San Francisco Ballet to pose and twirl to re-create Pyotr Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake.

Google

<strong>Oct. 7, 2009</strong> Scan the doodle that marks the first patent for the bar code and you'll decode Google embedded within.

Oct. 7, 2009 Scan the doodle that marks the first patent for the bar code and you'll decode Google embedded within.

Google

March 2, 2009 The doodlers arranged classic Dr. Seuss characters, like the Cat in the Hat and the Grinch, to form the logo's letters.

Google

<strong>Jan. 28, 2009</strong> There was no other way to honor abstract artist Jackson Pollack than with a chaotic drip painting.

Jan. 28, 2009 There was no other way to honor abstract artist Jackson Pollack than with a chaotic drip painting.

Google

<strong>Jan. 19, 2009</strong> Guest artist Shepard Fairey (famed for his Obama HOPE poster) did a sketch for Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

Jan. 19, 2009 Guest artist Shepard Fairey (famed for his Obama HOPE poster) did a sketch for Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

Google

<strong>Jan. 28, 2008</strong> Early on, Google used Lego blocks as casing for hard disks. Later it feted Lego's 50th anniversary.

Jan. 28, 2008 Early on, Google used Lego blocks as casing for hard disks. Later it feted Lego's 50th anniversary.

Google

<strong>April 22, 2007</strong> A melting iceberg for Earth Day is one of many eco-minded doodles the team has created.

April 22, 2007 A melting iceberg for Earth Day is one of many eco-minded doodles the team has created.

Google

<strong>Jan. 4, 2006</strong> Enter the world of out-there doodles — Google in braille. Only problem: you can't feel it.

Jan. 4, 2006 Enter the world of out-there doodles — Google in braille. Only problem: you can't feel it.

Google

<strong>March 30, 2005</strong> The Van Gogh doodle appeared in an era when doodles began to get more ambitious, and it's one of the doodlers' best interpretations of a specific painter.

March 30, 2005 The Van Gogh doodle appeared in an era when doodles began to get more ambitious, and it's one of the doodlers' best interpretations of a specific painter.

Google

<strong>Aug. 13, 2003</strong> Early doodles of famous folk tended to be simple, like this silhouette of Alfred Hitchcock.

Aug. 13, 2003 Early doodles of famous folk tended to be simple, like this silhouette of Alfred Hitchcock.

Google

<strong>March 14, 2003</strong> The early doodles were often simple but playful, like this mustachioed drawing of Albert Einstein to celebrate his birthday.

March 14, 2003 The early doodles were often simple but playful, like this mustachioed drawing of Albert Einstein to celebrate his birthday.

Google

Nov. 14, 2001 Google's first doodler, Dennis Hwang, gave the logo an Impressionist look for Claude Monet's birthday.

Google

Aug. 30, 1998 When employees left for the Burning Man festival, the Google logo became a cryptic BE BACK LATER sign. "There was no master plan for doodles at that point," says doodler-in-chief Ryan Germick.

Google

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