Austin, Texas – The use of technology in the elderly seems to benefit cognitive health rather than harm it, according to a large-scale meta-analysis Posted in Nature Human Behavior. The study, which examined data of more than 411,000 adults aged 50 and over, reveals that engaging with digital devices can actually help protect against cognitive decline and dementia.
“The generation that brought us the digital revolution now reaches the age when the risks of emerging dementia,” said Jared BengePh.D., co-author of the study and certified neuropsychologist from the Board of Directors at UT Health Austin Full memory center. “Far from provoking a” digital dementia “, as some feared, we found that technological commitment is systematically linked to better brain health, even after taking into account education, income and physical health.”
The analysis of 57 studies has shown that technology users were likely to be low -cognitive disability and reduced decrease rates. These protective relationships were observed between computers, smartphones and smartphones and the Internet.
Other key discoveries:
- Brain protection has remained strong both in snapshots and multi -year studies.
- The protective effect was comparable or stronger than established factors such as physical activity and education.
- The effects have persisted even during the control of socio -economic factors, education and health problems.
- Positive effects have been found in the age group 50-65 and those over 65.
The study introduces “technological reserve” as a new cognitive decline protection factor. Like education and learning throughout life helps the brain to resist damage, the use of technology can strengthen brain capacity to resist age -related changes, possibly through multiple ways: defying the mind with new learning, the maintenance of social connections and the creation of digital systems that help compensate for normal age -related changes.
“Our data suggests encouraging the elderly to engage with technology, especially in a way that helps challenge, connect and compensate for cognitive problems, could be a powerful approach to promote cognitive health,” said bench.