Time spent Googling the latest campaign news or searching for choice eBay buys may help stimulate and improve the minds of middle-aged and older Americans, UCLA scientists suggest.
Dr. Gary Small, a professor at UCLA, studied the brain activity of
two groups of adults — one with “Web savvy” and one without. The study
used MRI technology to measure brain activity when the groups were
asked to engage with a page from a book and an Internet search page.
The results?
When using a web search engine, the web savvy group showed more than
twice the brain activity than the technologically challenged group, and
that activity happened in the areas of the brain that control
decision-making and complex reasoning.
Says Dr. Small:
“There’s so much interest in exercising our minds as we
age. One result of this study is that these technologies are not all
bad. They may be good in keeping our brains active.”
No wonder I feel smarter after browsing the web all day…