Smartphones aren’t bad for you after all. A new study published in Natural Human Behavior found that technology engagement is associated with reduced odds of cognitive decline in middle-aged and older adults.
In fact, researchers found that those who use digital devices regularly are 42 percent less likely to experience cognitive decline when compared to those who use technology less frequently.
What wasn’t found was the appearance of widespread digital “brain drain” or “digital dementia.” Many previously thought that smartphone and computer use would damage people’s brains as they age. However, the exact opposite was found in the study.
To reach their conclusions, researchers analyzed more than 50 studies that looked at how technology impacts the brain. All of the 400,000 people analyzed, who had an average age of 69, either had a cognitive test or diagnosis.
What These Findings Mean
It’s unclear whether using technology prevents mental decline or if people with better cognitive abilities turn to technology more. That doesn’t mean the results are moot, though.
“For the first generation that was exposed to digital tools, their use is associated with better cognitive functioning,” Dr. Jared Benge, a clinical neuropsychologist in UT Health Austin’s Comprehensive Memory Center, told The Guardian. “This is a more hopeful message than one might expect given concerns about brain rot, brain drain, and digital dementia.”
What won’t help brain function is “passive and sedentary” smartphone or computer use.
“Our findings are not a blanket endorsement of mindless scrolling,” Benge told CNN. “They are instead a hint that the generation that gave us the internet has found ways to get some net positive benefits from these tools to the brain.”
The study notes that “the three Cs”—complexity, connection, and compensatory behaviors—are important when discussing the topic.
Digital tools can help people do complex things and make social connections. Both of those things have been shown to have positive brain implications. As for the third C, technology can help those in cognitive decline, thanks to tools like reminders and driving directions.
“That these effects were found in studies even when factors like education, income, and other lifestyle factors were adjusted was also encouraging,” Benge told the second outlet. “The effect doesn’t seem just due to other brain health factors.”
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