Google searching improves memory

A new study finds that internet searching exercises the brain.

Did you note that the Internet could be a good exercise for the brain? A new study from UCLA found it when middle age and senior age adults perform Internet searches, it activates many different areas of the brain including those involve with memory, decision making and reasoning. Join us today is the lead author of the study looking at this Dr Gary Smalls and he’s also the author of the book ibrain, surviving the technological alternation of the modern mind. Welcome Dr Smalls.

Thank you! It’s great to be here.

So, in my parents’ house, I have to tell you how it works. My mom and dad might sit up and it’s some point that they discussion, hey you are on the Internet, quit surfing Internet. Can I, now tell my parents it’s ok for dad to surf in the Internet, it’s good for his brain?

Well, we don’t see any harm in it, and this first study to see what the brain looks like when it searches on the Internet showed very dramatic results compared to just reading a book test page, there was much greater activation and particularly in the front part of the brain that controls complex reasoning and decision making.

That’s interesting, so it’s kind of can dicrossral puzzle sounds like.

Well, it’s… it’s appearlly different from cross word puzzles but similar one thing about when we were searching on the web is we constantly deciding should you go for this side or that other side, where as if just reading a book page the decision is should I turn the page when I finish the last sentence. And there are something about that decision making process, something about the interaction that is activating a much greater extend of brain circus.

And it’s interesting. Now what about the ages while you’re looking at these kind of, I saw your study was real to be small, it seemed to be a 24 people in the stuff I’d read. Uh, what ages are we looking at when did this become potentially neuro-preventive for people?

We don’t know whether it’s neuro-pret-preventive and we don’t know about the age facts, but one thing I focus on in ibrain in my new book is digital divide between young people, digital * who are getting this technology 24-7 born into it, and the older generation of digital nade, the digital immigrants who come to at a more reluctantly laid and lie, and how do we bridge that so called brain gap by augrating the text skill of older people and helping younger people with the face-to-face human contact skills.

It’s fascinating, we just have for one last question you can comment, but I’ve been fascinated how able people in their 60s and 70s are really incorporating this new technology into their daily lives in the Internet searching accelerate, it really being amazing to can be seen how quick that’s happened.

We are encouraging boomers and seniors to get involved in the technology to have fun within it and enjoy it in a great way to reach out people who are not nearby, the communicate ability is…(Absolutely) spectacular.

Absolutely, sorry we are at the time, but thanks so much for coming to see us Dr Smalls, love to hear what you had said.

Thank you!