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A recent study found that adults over 50 who used phones, computers, and tablets had a 42 percent lower risk of cognitive impairment and a 74 percent lower rate of cognitive decline.
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This could be because phones provide a cognitive challenge and social connection.
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This doesn’t mean that all screen use is helpful, and more research is needed to determine the type and duration that’s best—and whether this benefit would carry over to younger adults or children, too.
You’ve probably seen the reports that suggest smartphones are not so great for your health. But new research suggests that using your phone can be good for you—after a certain age.
The study, which was published in Nature Human Behavior, found that older adults who regularly use smartphones have a lower rate of cognitive decline than those who use them less often. That challenges the idea that smartphone use drives so-called “digital dementia,” which suggests that long-term tech exposure may worsen cognitive abilities, and also raises questions about whether phone use might boost the cognitive health of younger adults, too. Here’s what you need to know.
Meet the experts: Amit Sachdev, MD, MS, is the medical director in the Department of Neurology at Michigan State University. Michael Scullin, PhD, is the study co-author and professor of Psychology and Neuroscience at Baylor University. Clifford Segil, DO, is a neurologist at Providence Saint John’s Health Center in Santa Monica, CA.
What did the study find?
For the study, researchers analyzed data from 57 previously published studies on technology use and cognitive health in more than 400,000 adults over 50 around the world. The average age of study participants was 69 and all of them had undergone a cognitive test or had a dementia diagnosis.
The researchers discovered that there was no evidence to suggest that using phones raises the risk of cognitive decline. But they did find a link between using a computer, phone, or tablet and a lower risk of cognitive impairment.
Specifically, people who used phones, computers, and tablets had a 42 percent lower risk of cognitive impairment and a 74 percent lower rate of cognitive decline compared to those who used them less or not at all.
Why might using phones over 50 be good for you?
The study didn’t dive into that—it simply found a link between phone use in older adults and a lower risk of cognitive issues. But there are a few theories.
“The most likely explanation is that technically challenging tasks require learning,” says Amit Sachdev, MD, MS, medical director in the Department of Neurology at Michigan State University. “One of the most significant strategies to reducing the risk of late life cognitive decline is the robustness of use of the brain in early and midlife.”
Technology also requires using your brain in different ways, points out Clifford Segil, DO, a neurologist at Providence Saint John’s Health Center in Santa Monica, CA. “Using technology requires [the use of multiple senses] from looking at the screen, understanding what is being shown or reading what is on the screen, processing this in your brain and then using eye-hand coordination to respond to what you are watching or doing,” he says. “Using technology is a daily cognitive exercise and losing the ability to use your phone or email is similar to losing the ability to drive or care for your finances.”
There are a lot of distractions that pop up on devices, including notifications and advertisements, says Michael Scullin, PhD, study co-author and professor of psychology and neuroscience at Baylor University. “Trying to get rid of those distractions and focus is a cognitive challenge that doesn’t necessarily occur if you’re sitting in a quiet room with a newspaper,” he explains.
There may be a social element here, too, through things like video calls and texting, according to Scullin. “Loneliness and social isolation are predictors of faster cognitive decline in older adults,” he says. “Phones can provide greater social connection and decrease isolation.”
One more thing to consider: Scullin notes that phones can act as “cognitive aids” to help older adults remember things, like doctor’s appointments and birthdays. That can reinforce things like social connections (like when you don’t miss someone’s birthday or event) and support good overall health, all of which can be good for your brain, he says.
But this doesn’t mean that all screen use is helpful. “There is also potential for these devices to be very passive,” Scullin says. “If all you’re doing is binge-watching videos, that might not be a very cognitively stimulating activity.”
Do younger people benefit, too?
Possibly, but that’s still being explored. “It probably depends on how they use their phone,” Scullin says. “Are they watching things or engaging?”
Ultimately, Scullin says that more work is needed to see how adults—especially older adults—may benefit from phone use. “The findings suggest that devices are not always good or bad,” he says.
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