Whatever your age, googling can chase away the blues.

All that surfing isn’t that time wasted but may actually be good for your brain. Researchers believe that the World Wide Web may help elderly patients fight chronic depression and other illness.

A team from center on Aging at the University of California has found that trawling the Net stimulates brain function more than other activities, such as reading a book. Engaging with technology can have important benefits for mental fitness as it involves complex activity, which keeps the brain ticking, particularly for middle aged and older adults.

Curiosity and the urge to challenge one’s mental faculties promotes neurogenesis. This could come through reading, writing and watching videos as well. the joy of Googling promotes the yearning to juggle with concepts, stories and narratives, which replenish brain energy and promote new circuits. While Googling helps one challenge existing concepts, it also provides food for new intellectual debates. In fact, the debate lingers on long after the computer has been shut down.