A large number of people today are known to spend most of their time on social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and more. We are sure most of those reading this bit of information too are members on at least one of these sites. Ever wondered about the effects of these sites on the brain? If not, here’s some food for that socially ‘overdosed’ brain.
According to Dr. Tracy Alloway, a psychologist from the University of Stirling in Scotland, Facebook seems to enhance the intelligence. Twitter on the other hand appears to diminish it. Supposedly people who spend most of their time on Facebook improve a crucial element of their intelligence that seems to play a key role in success in life. While Twitter the psychologist claims apparently has the opposite effect on the brain.
The psychologist shares that playing video games and solving Sudoku seem to have similar effects on the brain as keeping abreast with Facebook. However Dr. Tracy elucidates that posting micro-blogs on Twitter, sending text messages and watching YouTube had chances of weakening the ‘working memory’. Supposedly working memory brings into picture the ability to memorize information while also putting it to use.
Having widely analyzed working memory, Dr Tracy is of the opinion that it is much more important to success and happiness as compared to IQ. Along with her team, the psychologist reveals to have designed a working memory training programme for slow-learning children at a school in Durham aged between 11 to 14 years.
The programme claims to have enhanced the performance of these children. The children were observed to have 10 point improvements in IQ, literacy and numeracy tests supposedly after eight weeks of ‘JungleMemory’ training. Apparently the children who had started off near the bottom of the class were now close to the top.
”It was a massive effect” said Dr Alloway. ”I’m not saying they’re good for your socialisation skills, but they do make you use your working memory.”
She adds, ”You’re keeping track of past actions and mapping the actions you’re going to take.”
The expert believes that video games that are based on planning and strategy like as those from the Total War series may also help in training working memory. Both, staying updated with friends on Facebook and playing Sudoku were found to benefit the working memory. On the contrary, the urge to instantly send texts, tweeting and watching YouTube were found to be unhealthy for the working memory.
”On Twitter you receive an endless stream of information, but it’s also very succinct” said Dr Alloway. ”You don’t have to process that information. ‘Your attention span is being reduced and you’re not engaging your brain and improving nerve connections”
The psychologist further reveals that there seems to be evidence associating TV viewing with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Also texting seemed to be linked with lower IQ scores.
At the beginning of the British Science Festival at the University of Surrey in Guildford, Dr. Tracy gave a talk on working memory.
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