Tech Use Isn’t Driving Dementia in Older Adults
Smartphone and computer use hasn’t put today’s older adults at increased risk of cognitive decline
Join Our Community of Science Lovers!
Screens are steadily taking over more and more of our life, leading some researchers to worry about the effect of long-term use on older adults’ brain. It has been suggested that this might lead to so-called digital dementia—that throughout our life might detract from cognitive functioning in our later years.
But new research indicates this hypothesis doesn’t appear to be true, at least for the generation of adults who first routinely used smartphones, computers and the Internet—and who are now reaching the age when cognitive impairment often starts to appear. In a paper published on Monday in Nature Human Behaviour, researchers analyzed 57 studies of digital technology use and cognitive function in more than 400,000 older adults across the world. They found that people in the “digital pioneer” generation who engaged more with digital technology did not have higher rates of cognitive impairment. In fact, technology use was associated with lower rates of cognitive decline. Yet the nature of the apparent relationship between these factors remains unclear.
One reason some researchers worried about “digital dementia” was previous research that linked television viewing, a passive activity, with negative outcomes such as an increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease. On the surface, most computer or smartphone screentime might seem similarly passive, says the new paper’s co-author Michael Scullin, a neuroscience researcher at Baylor University. But “for this group of middle-aged and older adults, [phones and computers] have been used for mentally stimulating activities and for social connections,” such as solving puzzles, engaging with the news, chatting with friends, or using reminders and alarms to help with daily activities.
If you’re enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.
“‘Digital dementia’ has always felt like a catchy but overstated concept to me,” she adds. “Cognitive offloading—using tools like reminders or GPS—is not inherently harmful. In fact, it can free up cognitive resources for more complex tasks.”
Source: www.scientificamerican.com