Internet evolving our minds

13:28 28th October 2008

Scientists have argued that the internet is causing an evolutionary change in our brains, which will see the most technology-competent individuals rise to the top of society.

Researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles, discovered in studies that web searching and text messaging are improving people's ability to make snap decisions and filter large amounts of information.

However, while the technology can improve learning and complex reasoning, areas linked to abstract thinking and empathy showed virtually no stimulation in the studies.

Gary Small, director of the memory and ageing research centre at the university, believes that we are witnessing an evolutionary change.

He told Reuters: "The people in the next generation who are really going to have the edge are the ones who master the technological skills and also face-to-face skills."

Earlier this month, the same California-based researchers discovered that surfing the internet can counteract the natural decline in thought processes which occur when we age.