A University of California Los Angeles team found searching the web stimulated centres in the brain that controlled decision-making and complex reasoning. The researchers say this might even help to counteract the age-related physiological changes that cause the brain to slow down. The study features in the American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry.

As the brain ages, a number of changes occur, including shrinkage and reductions in cell activity, which can affect performance. It has long been thought that activities which keep the brain active, such as crossword puzzles, may help minimise that impact – and the latest study suggests that surfing the web can be added to the list.

Lead researcher Professor Gary Small said: “The study results are encouraging, that emerging computerised technologies may have physiological effects and potential benefits for middle-aged and older adults. “Internet searching engages complicated brain activity, which may help exercise and improve brain function.”

Angst Is Rising, but Many Must Forgo Therapy

In the latest sign of the deepening economic crisis, more people are considering cutting back on their mental-health therapy, even as they become more stressed.

Across the country, psychiatrists and psychologists say they are seeing an increasing number of patients who are worried about paying for treatment. Some are reducing the amount of time they spend in therapy. Others are trying to negotiate a reduced fee. And, despite doctors’ warnings that it can be detrimental, some patients are using tactics to make their medication last longer, such as taking half their dose.

“People are in a quandary,” says Jaine Darwin, a psychologist who teaches at Harvard Medical School and has a private practice in Cambridge, Mass. “The economy is forcing them to decide, ‘Do I give up my lifeline?’”