The Biological Effect of the Internet on You

The popularity of the internet has caused millions of people to use online resources to connect, market, research, and communicate, among other things. However, the use of the internet is proving to have more effects on the functions of our brains than we care to believe.

A recent finding in UCLA shows that the more one uses the internet, the more one’s brain is stimulated in a unique way that further affects how our brains process information. This was determined through a study that compared sets of MRI scans of different test subjects of 55 to 78 year olds who were internet savvy and also those who were not. The good news is that the use of the internet can stimulate your brain in a way that prevents dementia from affecting you, especially if you are older.

The study was done by sending the test subjects to their respective homes where they had to log online to do interactive activities online such as tests and reading, for at least an hour daily. After the activities the test subjects were rescanned. Upon scanning the non-savvy users, the results showed that there was a significant increase in cognitive activity in the post-results which, when compared to the savvy group, were at par with one another.

It was discovered that the more one used the internet, the higher the blood flow was in the brain in key areas. It also showed that more internet use caused more cognitive function to occur in the brain. The activity that was detected happened mostly in the areas of the brain linked to decision-making and memory processes. These specific areas showed no activity in the pre-test scans.

Further, it was determined that brain activity doubles in those using the internet as compared to those not using it. This is great news for those who want a boost of learning capabilities and need a medium by which they want catch up with the rest of the tech-savvy population.