Is it true that “the brain gets younger with a smartphone”? A Surprising Reason Why Neurologists Recommend that Seniors Should Use Smartphones

Like appliances of the past, smartphones don’t come with manuals. Because they are designed to be intuitive to use. That’s why one out of every two people on the planet uses a smartphone. And they don’t break easily, and even if you make a mistake, you can try as many times as you want, so anyone can use them.

Working as a doctor, I clearly see a difference in cognitive function between people who use smartphones and those who use rattlecell phones or easy phones. The easy phone is too easy and lacks the stimulation that activates the brain. We recommend that you start using the same iPhone or other devices as young people. It is effective to learn and be able to use it without difficulty. You can also use a tablet, but we recommend a smartphone because it is easier. Smartphones are better because you can use them wherever you want, whenever you want.

Find videos you like rather than passively watching TV

Of course, using a smartphone is not just about searching. Video streaming services are also effective.

“With TV, I just passively watch content provided by the station. YouTube is free, and there are many all-you-can-watch services where you only pay a small monthly subscription fee. We actively choose what we want to watch from among them. Seniors tend to have fewer opportunities to express their emotions. Watching a comedy video or an emotional video and crying can help them to express their emotions, regulate their autonomic nervous system, and help with insomnia.

Emotions lead to the production of happy hormones. There are circuits inside the brain that secrete reward systems such as serotonin, oxytocin, and dopamine. Seniors are actually less likely to produce them. The hormones testosterone for men and estrogen for women tend to decrease by 20-30% after the age of 40-50, and dopamine becomes much harder to produce after the age of 70. If you don’t produce it, you will become less and less emotional, and the happy hormone will also stop being produced. The reward system is triggered by feelings of joy and happiness, for example, when a person is hugged.

But we don’t have that kind of opportunity very often, do we? But if you have a smartphone, you can solve this problem. Just watching a nostalgic image, such as a movie you saw with someone you dated in the past, is also a reward. It evokes old synapses, which leads to rejuvenation.”