It’s not as if I need to find reasons to continue indulging in arguably my favorite pastime – surfing the Internet. After all, I surf the Net for a living! But sometimes in the wee hours (when I should be getting my beauty sleep), I find myself researching the latest digital cameras and other tech toys, all the while being subjected to the subtle seduction of the periodic pop-up promising to make me a millionaire or solve all of my computer registry and virus troubles. Ah, the serenity of it all. But I digress.
More to the point of this article, a recent study at UCLA lends solid support to the notion that surfing the Net actually enhances and supports brain health. This is great news! In fact, according to the American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, “searching the Web can stimulate and increase brain function.”
Julie Edgar, who writes for WebMD Health News, authored an information-packed article, which elaborates on the results of this study. The article was written in October, and since that time there has been no shortage of press and hoopla referencing the study.
When I first heard of the study, I naturally took an interest in it. Going online, I was initially dismayed when I discovered this astounding new study was predicated on the results gleaned from twenty-four adult participants between the ages of 55 and 78. My inner skeptic emerged to ask what you’re probably asking, “How can any truly meaningful results be gathered from such a small study group?”
Here’s how and from whom the results were acquired:
Half of the participants searched the Internet one to several times a day; the other half, from never to once a month. None had neurological conditions and all had similar educational levels.
The study focused on two separate activities: reading text on a computer monitor and web searching. While performing these activities, all study participants underwent Magnetic Resonance Imaging or MRIs.
While reading text on the computer, the same areas of the brain were stimulated at approximately the same levels for all participants in both groups. However, when performing web searches, the group who regularly searched the web showed twice the brain activity than their counterparts who rarely or never use the Internet. This documented increased brain activity appeared predominantly in the “decision-making and complex-reasoning” areas of the brain.
Gary Small, the study’s director and director of the UCLA campus’ Memory and Aging Research Center says, “Our most striking finding was that Internet searching appears to engage a greater extent of neural circuitry that is not activated during reading — but only in those with prior Internet experience.”
So, the bottom line is – keep on, or start surfin’ the Net! Your brain will thank you for it.
Wayne Nelson and Jeremy Self own and operate Wired Northwest, LLC in Redmond. Submit your questions to: techtalk@wired-nw.com. Or, for more information, visit www.wired-nw.com or call 206-788-7975 / 206-788-7898.
