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Study: Googling Good for the Brain, Better Than Reading Archaic Book Technology

Posted 10/15/08 at 03:09:48 PM  by Alex Castle

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 Image Credit: Google, Wikipedia

Providing yet another reason to sit in front of your computer all day, a study out of UCLA has shown that searching the web may be good for your brain.

The study used an MRI to measure the brain activity of a group of seniors while they performed simulated internet search tasks, and also as they read a book. According to Dr. Gary Small, the tests showed that “when older people read a simulated book page, we see areas of the brain activated… When they search on the Internet, they use the same areas, but there was much greater activation particularly in the front part, which controls decision-making and complex reasoning.”

Of course, greater brain activity is good for keeping sharp (hence the popularity of Nintendo’s Brain Age series of games) so this study means that searching the net could help keep you firing on all cognitive cylinders as you age. However, the increased activity was only found in those who had experience with searching the internet, so if you have any older relatives who are still net-illiterate, it might be time to give them a few lessons in the fine art of Googling.

COMMENTS:2
TAGS: Software, Google, health, Science
COMMENTS
avatarSecond that motion

Submitted by ghot on Thu, 10/16/2008 - 3:56am

Of course brain activity will be higher when...."googling"....as metioned above/below reading and searching are widly different animals.  Further, It also proves (more or less) what I've been saying for years.....websites and software are highly UNintuitive, whereas simple text IS intuitive.

Not to mention, every website is different and any internet activity, by default, causes security concerns, which will further "increase" cognition.

This "test" proves absolutely NOTHING.  It's an apples to oranges comparison at BEST and an apples to cabuerator comparison at worst.  

I'm dissappointed that Maximum PC has even posted this article....it flies in the face of reliable unbiased testing.  For shame!

 

 

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avatarA better comparison would

Submitted by retinaburn on Wed, 10/15/2008 - 4:51pm

A better comparison would be between Googling and searching for information in an encyclopedia or library.  Of course people reading won't be exercising reasoning or making decisions.  They are no decisions to make, and you're mostly just absorbing information when you're reading.

The results of the study are not surprising whatsoever.

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