YORK, England, July 13, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- Millions of Brits are suffering from 'numerical amnesia' as mobile phones increasingly replace memories to recall important numbers.
23 million(1) Britons can't remember their partner's mobile number off by heart, 30 million can't recall their best friend's number and 22 million forget their parents' mobile number - causing worrying implications in the event of an emergency, according to the results of a new study released today by life assistance company CPP (http://www.cpp.co.uk/).
An online memory test, designed to assess the nation's ability to recall sequences of numbers, reveals that four in five Brits cannot recall a mobile phone number after an interlude of only five seconds.
Landline numbers it seems however, are more ingrained with 92 per cent of adults able to recall their home number and 60 per cent their parents'.
Mobile reliance is causing phone users to worry about losing precious data if their handset is lost or stolen, with nearly two thirds (67 per cent) anxious about losing the numbers stored on their phones. Despite this less than half of Brits (43 per cent) back up their mobile phone numbers in a traditional address book, and just one in five (18 per cent) choose to store the data on their computers.
Michael Lynch from CPP (http://www.cpp.co.uk/) warns consumers though that there's much more at risk when losing a phone than just the data. "Brits' inability to recall numbers of their nearest and dearest means that many could be in a very tricky and distressing situation if their phone is lost or stolen, if they have no idea how to contact someone for help. This shows us that mobiles have literally become people's lifelines.
"Our research shows that people are so heavily reliant on their mobile phones, that they'd be lost without them. And even if not caught in an emergency situation, our research shows that four in 10 victims have admitted that they've lost contact with friends when they've lost or had their phones stolen."
The research showed that while losing phone numbers is mobile users' primary concern, four in 10 are also worried about losing precious photos taken on their handset and a third fear losing their text messages.
Psychologist Dr Glenn Wilson comments on the impact of us needing to remember less and less information: "As technology gets more sophisticated, our own memories are on the decline as we increasingly rely on information stored on phones and online. While this reliance can be problematic if people are totally dependent on an external memory store that is lost or becomes temporarily unavailable, it can also affect an individual's mental agility later in life. Like many other skills, memory needs exercising if the capacity is not to be lost."
The CPP (http://www.cpp.co.uk/) study shows that it's not just mobile phone numbers that we are failing to remember. Over half of UK adults (53 per cent) struggle to memorise their bank account number and 44 per cent can't remember their national insurance number.
CPP's (http://www.cpp.co.uk/) PhoneSafe service provides a 'back-up' service for all customers to ensure that phone numbers, texts and photos are all safe and can be restored onto a new or loaned handset if the need ever arises.
Five top tips to remember numbers:
Step 1: Visualise the number - picture the numbers in your head. Think
about what they would look like, what colour they would be,
what they would look like on a business card or in your
handwriting.
Step 2: Recite the number out loud. Recite the number three times right
away, and again in one minute. Recite them every few minutes out
loud. Even create rhythm in the sequence of numbers to the tune
of a well-known song.
Step 3: Practise dialling the number. Move the fingers in the way in
which it would be used to dial the number while reciting
the number.
Step 4: Group the numbers together. The human mind naturally remembers
numbers better in groups of three and four.
Step 5: Look for personal associations with the numbers. Associate
numbers to birthdays, ages, pin numbers or other things that
are personal to you. Your mind will recall the numbers when the
association is thought up.
Notes to editor
(1) UK adult population aged 18+ = 48,676,000 (ONS 24/6/2010). 47% of UK adults don't know their partners mobile number off by heart. 47% of UK adult population = 22,877,720. 61% of UK adult population don't know their best friend's mobile phone number = 29,692,360 and 45% can't recall their parent's mobile number = 21,904,200.
Research Methodology
Research was carried out online by ResearchNow among 2,019 UK adults between 3 and 17 June 2010.
The CPPGroup Plc
The CPPGroup Plc (CPP) is an international marketing services business offering bespoke customer management solutions to multi-sector business partners designed to enhance their customer revenue, engagement and loyalty, whilst at the same time reducing cost to deliver improved profitability.
This is underpinned by the delivery of a portfolio of complementary Life Assistance products, designed to help our mutual customers cope with the anxieties associated with the challenges and opportunities of everyday life.
Whether our customers have lost their wallets, been a victim of identity fraud or looking for lifestyle perks, CPP can help remove the hassle from their lives leaving them free to enjoy life. Globally, our Life Assistance products and services are designed to simplify the complexities of everyday living whether these affect personal finances, home, travel, personal data or future plans. When it really matters, Life Assistance enables people to live life and worry less.
Established in 1980, CPP has 10 million customers and more than 200 business partners across Europe, North America and Asia and employs 1,900 employees who handle millions of sales and service conversations each year.
In 2009, Group revenue was GBP292.1 million, an increase of more than 12 per cent over the previous year.
In March 2010, CPP debuted on the London Stock Exchange (LSE).
What We Do: CPP provides a range of assistance products and services that allow our business partners to forge closer relationships with their customers.
We have a solution for many eventualities, including:
- Insuring our customers' mobile phones against loss, theft and damage
- Protecting the payment cards in our customers' wallets and purses,
should these be lost or stolen
- Providing assistance and protection if a customer's keys are lost or
stolen
- Providing advice, insurance and assistance to protect customers against
the insidious crime of identity fraud
- Assisting customers with their travel needs be it an emergency (for
example lost passport), or basic translation service
- Monitoring the credit status of our customers
- Provision of packaged services to business partners' customers
CPP is an award winning organisation:
- Finalist in the National Insurance Fraud Awards, Counter Fraud
Initiative of the Year category, 2009
- Finalist in the European Contact Centre Awards, Large Team and Advisor
of the Year categories, 2009
- Named in the Sunday Times 2008 PricewaterhouseCoopers Profit Track 100
- Finalists in the National Business Awards, 3i Growth Strategy category,
2008
- Finalist in the National Business Awards, Business of the Year
category, 2007, 2009 and Highly Commended in 2008
- Named in the Sunday Times 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009 HSBC Top Track 250
companies
- Regional winner of the National Training Awards, 2007
- Winner of the BITC Health, Work and Well-Being Award, 2007
- Highly Commended in the UK National Customer Service Awards, 2006
- Winner of the Tamworth Community Involvement Award, 2006. Finalist in
2008
- Highly Commended in The Press Best Link Between Business and Education,
2005 and 2006. Winner in 2007
- Finalist in the National Business Awards, Innovation category, 2005
For more information on CPP click on http://www.cpp.co.uk
SOURCE CPPGroup Plc
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