Now Google makes us smrter

Way back in May 2007, I posted about a story that I had found that Google was making us dumber (Google Search, The Atlantic). But as with everything in science, if there is one opinion, there are more out there just waiting to jump up. So when I saw this story, I thought… this is going to get interesting – after all with findings like this, it seems a pretty good bet that something is happening – at least biologically (even though our behaviours may not match… ie make us dumb):

“Our most striking finding was that Internet searching appears to engage a greater extent of neural circuitry that is not activated during reading — but only in those with prior Internet experience,” said Small, who is also the director of UCLA’s Memory and Aging Research Center.

In fact, researchers found that during Web searching, volunteers with prior experience registered a twofold increase in brain activation when compared with those with little Internet experience. The tiniest measurable unit of brain activity registered by the fMRI is called a voxel. Scientists discovered that during Internet searching, those with prior experience sparked 21,782 voxels, compared with only 8,646 voxels for those with less experience.

Compared with simple reading, the Internet’s wealth of choices requires that people make decisions about what to click on in order to pursue more information, an activity that engages important cognitive circuits in the brain.

“A simple, everyday task like searching the Web appears to enhance brain circuitry in older adults, demonstrating that our brains are sensitive and can continue to learn as we grow older,” Small said.