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The Jammie Dodger Bored Board -> JDBB -> The Jammie Dodger Bored Board -> Internet makes you smarter...
Post Info TOPIC: Internet makes you smarter...
ddvmor


I am the Jammie King!




Status: Offline
Posts: 12736
Date: Oct 21, 2009
Internet makes you smarter...
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...well if you're old, anyway.

Using the Internet makes people smarter, study finds
UCLA researchers find that Internet use stimulates the brain of middle aged and older adults without much online experience.

Could it be that the Internet actually - gasp! - makes you smarter?

That's the word from a team of scientists at the University of California, Los Angeles , who reported this week that new Internet users between age 55 and 78 improved their scores on decision-making and complex reasoning tests after just seven days online. The researchers said they found that surfing the Web seemed to stimulate neural activity and possibly enhance cognitive functioning in the mature group of Internet users .

Just a week online increased brain activity twofold in the oldest Internet users studied, noted the scientists.

"The results suggest that searching online may be a simple form of brain exercise that might be employed to enhance cognition in older adults," said Teena D. Moody, a UCLA senior research associate, in a statement.

The researchers reported that using the Internet triggers key centers in the brain that usually atrophy with age and lack of use. However, when people begin using the Internet, it positively affects cognitive functions and alters the way the brain encodes new information.

"We found that for older people with minimal experience, performing Internet searches for even a relatively short period of time can change brain activity patterns and enhance function," said Gary Small, a professor of psychiatry at UCLA and the study's author, in a statement.

The UCLA team studied 24 adults -- half of whom used the Internet daily, and half with very little online experience.

At the start of the program, the volunteers did online searches for information while undergoing MRI scans that recorded brain circuitry changes. The they each went home and conducted Internet searches for an hour a day for seven days over a two-week period.

After the two week period, the participants underwent a second brain scan. According to the researcher, the volunteers that had little Internet experience showed a marked improvement in areas of the brain that control memory and decision making.

The UCLA team now plans to investigate the affects of online search on younger adults.

So we can be sure that Ben benefits directly from surfing the net (I choose to interpret that as 'reading the JDBB makes Ben smarter'). It's unclear what it does for the rest of us!

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The King has spoken... But nobody listened.
Truckman


Old.
But wise!





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Posts: 1524
Date: Oct 21, 2009
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So that's how I got so smart...

And who're you calling old?...fight...Ben

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"It must be mounted on a tripod!...It must be mounted on a tripod!" - Cmdr. Frederick Mohr
JonnyStead


"I'm Lois!"


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Posts: 4979
Date: Oct 22, 2009
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Have a nice sit down Ben, we'll bring you a blanket! :)

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I'll take arrogance and the inevitable hubris over self-doubt and lack of confidence.

"Everyone has a plan, until they get punched in the face" - Mike Tyson
Truckman


Old.
But wise!





Status: Offline
Posts: 1524
Date: Oct 22, 2009
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JonnyStead wrote:

Have a nice sit down Ben, we'll bring you a blanket! :)


And a fresh cup of coffee?...

 



__________________
"It must be mounted on a tripod!...It must be mounted on a tripod!" - Cmdr. Frederick Mohr
JonnyStead


"I'm Lois!"


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Posts: 4979
Date: Oct 22, 2009
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Truckman wrote:

And a fresh cup of coffee?...

 


 Probably tea mate- coffee isnt good for the oldies...



__________________

I'll take arrogance and the inevitable hubris over self-doubt and lack of confidence.

"Everyone has a plan, until they get punched in the face" - Mike Tyson
Truckman


Old.
But wise!





Status: Offline
Posts: 1524
Date: Oct 22, 2009
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I drink a pot of coffee every morning, but I do like iced tea in the afternoon...Ben

__________________
"It must be mounted on a tripod!...It must be mounted on a tripod!" - Cmdr. Frederick Mohr
Truckman


Old.
But wise!





Status: Offline
Posts: 1524
Date: Oct 22, 2009
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And if you want to know what life would be like without the internet, here's a sample...



















__________________
"It must be mounted on a tripod!...It must be mounted on a tripod!" - Cmdr. Frederick Mohr
ddvmor


I am the Jammie King!




Status: Offline
Posts: 12736
Date: Oct 23, 2009
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This just turned into the thread of the week!

That last one is just evil!



__________________
The King has spoken... But nobody listened.
Truckman


Old.
But wise!





Status: Offline
Posts: 1524
Date: Oct 23, 2009
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Ebay might look a little different, also...



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"It must be mounted on a tripod!...It must be mounted on a tripod!" - Cmdr. Frederick Mohr
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