New research is offering encouraging news for older adults: regular use of everyday digital technology—smartphones, computers, tablets, and the internet—may be linked to a lower risk of cognitive decline. A meta-analysis of 57 studies, published in Nature Human Behaviour, found that adults over 50 who frequently engaged with digital devices had a 58% lower risk of cognitive impairment compared to those who used them rarely, according to the Washington Post.
The research doesn’t claim that technology use directly prevents dementia, but the pattern is clear: seniors who stay digitally active tend to show better cognitive outcomes. The average participant age across the studies was 69.
“We saw that older adults who are engaging with technologies overall seem to be having fewer diagnoses of dementia or mild cognitive impairment, and better performance on cognitive tests,” study co-author Jared Benge of the Dell Medical School at the University of Texas at Austin told the newspaper. While education level and income influence results, the association remained strong even after those factors were accounted for.
Researchers highlighted three main ways technology may support brain health: by offering mentally stimulating tasks (like puzzles or navigating new software), helping people stay socially connected, and aiding memory and daily functioning through tools such as GPS.
“It flips the script that technology is always bad,” Dr. Murali Doraiswamy of Duke University told the New York Times. Doraiswamy, who wasn’t involved in the study, noted that it’s hard to know whether tech use improves cognition or whether cognitively healthy seniors are simply more likely to use tech in the first place. Still, he called the findings “refreshing” and worthy of deeper investigation.
Or, as the Daily Skimm quipped: “So don’t roll your eyes the next time Grandma sends you an Insta reel about bathing your cat.”