According to a study being released in next month’s American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, internet web searching may just enhance brain activity and keep your brain working at top function as you approach your middle-age and golden years.
The study compared subjects between the ages of 55 and 75 who were either reading a book, or searching the internet. Using functional MRI scans while the subjects were participating in these activities, researchers discovered significantly more brain activity with those that were searching the internet as opposed to those that were reading.
An oddity that appeared indicated that those who were familiar with web searching had higher activity than those who were new to searching and other internet activities.
I guess that means we geeks that are approaching middle age (I’m one of them…) should be just fine brain-wise! I’m a master searcher, having been involved with Internet-based research for many years before going into an academic environment. I’m always telling my students, “Google is your friend.” It’s better than a friend, it can keep your brain healthy into old age!
