Whilst wondering what I should blog about today, I fell into my predictable, familiar routine of seeking inspiration by doing that old pointing-and-clicking-thing. I’m sure you’re already well-practised at this yourself. You start at a favourite webpage and, well, point and click on whatever takes your fancy. And, if you’re anything like me, after doing this a number of times, following links into the wild blue yonder, you probably end up back in familiar territory. Which was the case today.
After a little surfing, sure enough, I found myself back on the BBC News website reading about a University of California Los Angeles team that has discovered a possible new health benefit to the very pastime we are all so fond of:
It seems that the decision-making process and “complex reasoning” involved stimulate areas of the brain that, for example, book-reading tasks do not.
Rebecca Wood of the Alzheimer’s research trust says on the BBC website:
“These fascinating findings add to previous research suggesting that middle-aged and older people can reduce their risk of dementia by taking part in regular mentally stimulating activities.
“Older web users – ‘silver surfers’ – are doing precisely this.
“Frequent social interactions, regular exercise and maintaining a balanced diet can also reduce dementia risk.”
So there you go; If you’re getting on a bit, surf the web content in the knowledge that you’re giving yourself a mental workout — but munch on a carrot whilst you do so and when you need a toilet break, remember to jog there!
Gary William Murning Online 