Sydney: In the 21st century, digital technology has changed many aspects of our life. Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) is the latest newcomer, in which chatbots and other AI tools change how we learn and create a lot of philosophical and legal challenges about “outsourced thinking”.
But the emergence of technology that changes our way of living is no new issue. The change in digital technology from analog started around the 1960s and is a “digital revolution” that has brought us the Internet. An entire generation of people living and working through this development is now entering in the early 80s.
So what can we learn about the effect of technology on the brain of aging? A comprehensive new study from researchers University of texas And Boiler university In United States Provides important answer.
Published in Nature Human Behavior today, it found no supportive evidence for “Digital Dementia” hypothesis. In fact, it was found that the use of computers, smartphones and internet among more than 50 people may actually be associated with low rates of cognitive decline.
What is ‘Digital Dementia’?
A lot has been written about the possible negative effects from technology on the human brain.
According to the “Digital Dementia” hypothesis launched by German neuroscientist and psychiatrist Manfred specter In 2012, increased use of digital devices resulted in more dependence on technology. In return, it has weakened our overall cognitive ability.
Three areas of concern about the use of technology have been noted earlier:
Increase in passive screen time. This refers to the use of technology that does not require important ideas or participation, such as watching TV or scrolling social media.
Unloading cognitive abilities for technology, such as no longer to miss phone numbers because they are placed in our contact list.
Increase in sensitivity to distraction.
Why is this new study important?
We know that technology can affect how our brain develops. But the effect of technology about the age of our brain makes less understanding.
Neurocycaologist Jred Benz and this new study by Michael Skulin It is important because it examines the impact of technology on older people who have experienced significant changes in the way they use technology in their lives.
The new study has been done as a meta-analysis, where the results of several previous studies are combined. The authors discovered studies checking technology in people over the age of 50 and examined the relationship with cognitive decline or dementia. He found 57 studies which included data from over 411,000 adults. Studies involved measured cognitive decline based on low performance or diagnosis of dementia on cognitive tests.
A low risk of cognitive decline
Overall, the study found that more use of technology was associated with low risk of cognitive decline. Statistical tests were used to determine the “obstacles” of cognitive decline based on the contact of technology. A barrier ratio under 1 indicates less risk than exposure and the combined Auds ratio in this study was 0.42. This means that the high use of technology was associated with 58% risk decrease for cognitive decline.
This benefit was also found when the effects of other things known to contribute to cognitive decline, such as the socio -economic condition and other health factors, were responsible.
Interestingly, the magnitude of the use of technology on the brain function found in this study was the same or stronger than other known protective factors, such as physical activity (about 35% risk reduction), or maintaining a healthy blood pressure (about 13% risk reduction).
However, it is important to understand that more studies have been done over the years, examining the benefits of management of blood pressure and the benefits of increasing physical activity, and the mechanisms through which they help protect our brain are more understood.
It is also very easy to measure blood pressure than the use of technology. One of the strength of this study is that it considered these difficulties by focusing on some aspects of the use of technology, but excluded other people such as brain training games.
These conclusions are encouraging. But we still cannot say that the use of technology causes better cognitive function. It requires more research to see if these findings are repeated in various groups of people (especially from low and medium -income countries), which were reduced to this study, and to understand why this relationship could be done.
How do we use ‘how’
In fact, it is not possible to live in the world today without using certain types of technology. Everything from paying bills to booking our next holiday is now almost completely online. Perhaps we should think instead of how we use technology.
Cognitively stimulating activities such as reading, learning a new language and playing music – especially in early adulthood – as protecting our brain can help with age.
More and more association with technology in our lifetime can be a form of stimulating our memory and thinking, as we are favorable for new software updates or learn to use a new smartphone. It has been suggested that this “technical reserve” may be good for our brain.
Technology can also help us to be socially connected, and can help us stay free for a long time.
A fast -changing digital world
While the findings of this study show that it is unlikely that all digital technology is bad for us, the way we interact and trust it is changing rapidly.
The effect of AI on the brain of aging will be clear only in the decades of the future. However, our ability to adapt to historical technological innovations, and to support cognitive tasks suggests the ability to suggest that the future may not be bad.
For example, progress in brain-computer interfaces provides new hope for those who experience neurological disease or disability.
However, the potential downside of technology is real, especially for young people, including poor mental health. Future research will help determine how we can catch the benefits of technology by limiting the capacity of loss.
