Are Search Tools Making Us Smarter Or Just Faster?

If you’ve ever found yourself asking ChatGPT a question you could Google, or skimming Reddit instead of reading the full article, you’re not alone.
Modern search tools and social feeds give us answers at speeds our ancestors couldn’t dream of. But is “instant” always better?

The psychologist Daniel Kahneman, who passed away last year, left us with one of the most important frameworks for understanding our minds:

System 1 — fast, intuitive, effortless.
System 2 — slow, deliberate, analytical.

In Thinking, Fast and Slow, Kahneman argued that much of what we call “thinking” is really System 1 doing mental shortcuts. System 2 only take over when we notice a problem or decide to push ourselves.

The trouble is: today’s digital world is built to reward System 1, not System 2.

Modern search behavior: speed over depth

A recent Resolve survey found that 86% of users feel Google’s results are repetitive, and people bounce away if they don’t see what they want in seconds. [ContentGrip, 2023] Recall the last time you click on 3rd page on google search results? Neither do I.

A study in Nature (2023) found that conversational AI like GPT models make people feel more confident in their answers, even when those answers are factually flawed. The illusion of coherence can switch off our critical thinking. [Cheng et al., Nature, 2023]

Meanwhile, for Gen Z, Google is now a “last resort” for exploratory queries. Many prefer TikTok or Reddit, where algorithms push peer stories, visuals, and short hits of information. The algorithm is tuned to keep you scrolling, not necessarily to help you weigh evidence.

Information is faster. Thinking is shallower.

Why does this matter?

A 2022 Stanford study on context switching shows that constant tab-hopping and multitasking erode our capacity for deep reasoning. It’s the mental version of junk food: high stimulation, low nourishment. [Stanford HCI Lab, 2022]. Research on “superstimuli”, the idea that our brains crave hyper-processed inputs (endless feeds, clickbait, push notifications), shows that we get stuck in a dopamine loop. We keep consuming but rarely pause to reflect. [Zentall, Behavioral Processes, 2022]

Psychologists call this the “novelty bias.” Our brains prioritize what’s new and easy, not what’s true or useful.

This trend isn’t just a coincidence, it’s the design logic behind almost every SaaS product today. Developers compete to keep their app top of mind and top of screen every single day, chasing ever-growing daily active users (DAUs) to satisfy investors and fuel growth. The easiest way to hold our attention? By feeding us something that feels “good,” “relaxing,” “novel,” “fun,” “rewarding,” or “accomplished.” These are all emotions that fast, shallow, frictionless experiences deliver effortlessly, and exactly what deep, careful, slower thinking rarely provides in the moment.

The hidden cost: we avoid discomfort

Here’s the uncomfortable truth: deep thinking feels hard. System 2 is energy-intensive. So we naturally default to System 1 when tools make that easy. This isn’t about moral failure, it’s about design.

When every app is built to keep your attention, they become “choice architects” steering you toward the fast lane. Kahneman warned that System 2 is lazy by default: it won’t engage unless friction slows us down or we intentionally design it in.

One powerful insight from Carol Kuhlthau’s Information Search Process is that genuine research follows a messy journey: confusion, doubt, dead ends, refinement. But our digital environments nudge us to skip those uncomfortable phases, offering a summary instead of real synthesis.

So what can we do?

Let’s take a cue from recent behavioral design research: friction isn’t always bad. Sometimes we need friction to think better.

Create “slow spaces” in your work:
• Use tools that let you annotate, compare, and weigh multiple sources.
• When researching, force yourself to read at least three opposing viewpoints.
• Write your own summary before asking AI for one, then compare. This checks your assumptions.

Reduce superstimuli:
The LotL 368 piece on superstimuli puts it perfectly: multitasking is a lie. Only 2.5% of people can do it well. The rest of us lose depth for the illusion of speed. Rank your inputs: what genuinely fuels your clarity? What just feeds the dopamine loop?

Remember that reflection is productive:
Research on reflective practices shows that people who pause to reflect before acting are less likely to fall for common biases like confirmation bias and anchoring. [Harvard Business School, Di Stefano et al., 2014]

Design System 2 triggers:
A simple prompt can switch you from “fast” to “slow”: What assumptions am I making?
Or: Could the opposite be true? What are my assessing criteria?

Search tools will keep getting faster. AI will keep getting smoother. But no technology can replace the slow, deliberate act of thinking something through. As Kahneman wrote, “System 2 is who we think we are.” But in reality, we have to choose to be that version of ourselves. So, next time you find yourself skimming for the quick hit, pause.
Let your mind catch up to your search bar. You might just find a better answer.