A recent study conducted by the neurology team of University of California or UCLA shows that, the internet is not only a means of entertainment and communications, but it also advances our cerebral capabilities. The study involved novice internet users, who were given the task of conducting searches online, in an attempt to study their brain activity. After the internet sessions, the brains scans revealed that, almost all users showed enhanced brain activity and increased memory capacity.

The study was conducted on 24 volunteers, varying from 55 to 78 years old, under the guidance of Gary Small, a psychiatry professor at UCLA. The first half of the study group included people with little or no internet experience and the other half was comprised of individuals who have a keen knowledge of how internet works and served as he control group for the study.

The novice users underwent IMRI scans before and after the two week long internet sessions and were given a one week crash course in the basics of internet, before the experiment began. After, two week period, the users were simultaneously scanned while surfing the web and the results proved Gary Small’s theory, that the online environment makes people smarter and more efficient. The test group showed heightened cerebral activity in the region that controls the decision making and analytical capabilities of the brain. The scans also revealed accelerated activity in the regions of the brain, that serve as our memory.

According to Gary Small,

“The Internet may be a form of brain exercise. Whether the [brain changes] translate to other aspects of life, we don’t know yet, but it’s certainly a possibility.”

Via Popsci.