Google is good for your noodle
FAR FROM FRAZZLING the brain, it seems spending inordinate amounts of time in front of a computer may actually help keep your mind fit and agile, possibly even preventing the onset of dementia.
At least, this is what a new UCLA study on the effects of technology on the brain is claiming. Although psychiatrist and director of UCLA's Memory & Aging Research Centre, Gary Small says it’s too soon to tell if Google searches could eradicate Alzheimers, he also says the "study shows that when your brain is on Google, your neural circuitry changes extensively".
The study was carried out on 24 neurologically normal volunteers aged between 55 and 76 with similar educational backgrounds who were given two tasks. Half were familiar with Internet searching, half were not. All were told to read text on screen, turning pages by the click of a button as they progressed, and all were made to carry out Internet searches.
While the subjects were busy reading and Googling away, their brains were monitored by a special MRI machine. Results showed that while reading text on-screen stimulated regions of the brain controlling language, reading, memory and vision, Internet searching lit them up too, and then some. Areas associated with complex reasoning and decision making were especially stimulated by online search.
Small reckoned his research was plugging an important gap by focusing on the older, so called 'digital immigrant' age group, with the study concluding there was a clear association between routine Internet searching and neural circuitry activation in middle-aged and older adults.
Boffins hope that future studies will elaborate further on the positive and negative effects of internet searching on the aging human brain. µ
L'Inq
San Francisco Chronicle
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All those years of searching for ASCII pr0n were actually good for me!
Was Mike among the sample?
Are you daft ? How can possibly _encourage_ sane people to go fry their brain in the Youtube comment section ?
That should be a crime against humanity.
On the other hand, there are no 55-year-olds on Youtube, not in the comment section anyway.
The ones who "comment" (term used veeery loosely) on Youtube are more of the 12 to 20 section of the age pyramid, and of the age 4 to 6 bracket as far as intellect is concerned.
Absolutely no correlation to people who have already lived a good part of their lives knowing how to read and write.
You are absolutely sure it said 'prevent' the onset of dementia not 'rapidly increase up to a very young age'?
And if not, I advise the researchers to get online and read some forums and youtube comments and then hang their heads in shame and quickly put out an apology and retraction.
And I don't care who paid them how much.
And yes I'm being snide but alas - also realistic.
No! You're winding me up? Are you?
BTW, how's your boozer? Hope it not round the twist all hoity toity chuck. If so, give it some welly. Not sure if you're whinging me a groaner for a brass farthing or a tinker's damn. But anyhoo, I'm caning it. All's in favor - say "oi"; opposed? signify same by saying "aye"; abstenchees vote present by saying "ewe"... Altogether now!