Internet research

What the web is teaching our brains

Spending hours on the net isn't only changing the way we work, shop and socialise. A leading neurologist says it is subtly re-wiring the way we think and behave - often for the better. By Anastasia Stephens

Most of us in the developed world now have relationships with computers - and access to information and entertainment - that we could not have dreamt about even a decade or so ago. We spend our days sifting emails and browsing the internet, then relax by tweeting or networking online and playing computer games, sometimes all at the same time.

All this, according to Dr Gary Small of UCLA, is changing us. Dr Small, one of America's leading neurologists, has written a book, iBrain - Surviving the Technological Alteration of the Modern Mind, that describes what he believes is the profound impact of new technology on our brains and behaviour. His research indicates that internet use and web-browsing has a marked effect on our brains, which, he argues, are much more changeable than most of us think, especially in the case of young people.

Repeated daily actions such as web research and browsing direct the growth of neurons and connections within the brain, affecting thinking and behaviour. While the internet enhances our brain function in some ways - his study found it boosted decision-making and complex reasoning in older people - it can also lead to memory loss. Some research suggests there may be links between excessive computer use and conditions such as attention deficit disorder, depression and anxiety in younger people.

But the news is not all bad. Research at UCLA has revealed that just one hour of internet use per day can measurably boost brain function.

"As our brain is plastic and remoulds itself in accordance to our daily activities, prolonged computer use can have a profound effect on the way we think, feel and behave," says Professor Small. "We can learn to react more quickly to visual stimuli and improve many forms of attention. We develop a better ability to sift through large amounts of information rapidly and decide what's important and what isn't. In this way, we adapt to cope with the massive amounts of information appearing and disappearing on our mental screens from moment to moment."

However, some researchers fear prolonged computer use could damage social skills. A Stanford University study found that for every hour we spend on our computers, traditional face-to-face interaction time with other people drops by almost 30 minutes. With less face-to-face contact and body language, we may begin to misinterpret others. Our human relationships may suffer, with areas in the prefrontal cortex which respond to facial expression becoming less developed. Decision-making may suffer, too.

"Qualitatively, high-speed decisions are not the same as the type of decision that you slowly contemplate and make over time," says Professor Small. More pondered decision-making has "a depth that speedy thinking cannot grasp".

Benefiting most from computers and technology is all about balance: "It's common sense. You should aim to balance internet time with real social time as much as you can. If you work all day at a computer, make sure you mix with real people in the evening, rather than using social-networking sites on the internet or playing computer games."

And "If you never use computers, then start," Professor Small recommends. "As we found, even an hour a day can vastly improve your information processing skills, even in people aged 55 to 60."

Internet research

What it does: Boosts the ability to integrate and process information as well as enhancing decision-making skills.

Using rapid spurts of directed concentration for internet research enhances our ability to focus our attention, analyse information and make instant decisions. Assessing these skills, Professor Pam Briggs at Northumbria University found web surfers spent two seconds or less on any particular website before moving on to the next. She found they sifted information accurately, despite operating at high speed, stopping only at sites that contained relevant information.

These "high-speed" research skills can be learnt at any age and actively enhance brain function. Professor Gary Small compared the brains of middle-aged people who rarely use the internet to those of experienced internet users, as they conducted web searches for an hour each day.

With the inexperienced users, "After five days, areas of the prefrontal cortex that control our ability to make decisions and integrate complex information had become markedly more active," says Professor Small. "These areas were fairly inactive at the beginning of our experiment. But after five days they were as active as regular internet users. This indicates that brain function can change and improve with internet use quickly, even when you are older."

Дата добавления: 2015-11-16