Can smartphones help improve brain power?

With the ability to access all of the worlds information within your fingertips, it has been long discussed that smartphone users tend to avoid a lot of the environment around them, for the sake of sharing pictures and silly status updates.

However, despite these assumptions, there is still no evidence to prove that the broad availability of these devices are having any negative impact on our concentration. Although recent research does show that our frequent dependency on our smartphones during the evening can have a knock on effect on our productivity, there is still no definitive proof that their presence in our day-to-day lives is making us less intelligent in any way.

In fact, they could be doing more good than we realize. This year, more than 53% of all under-11s in the UK are expected to regularly use a smartphone or a tablet. While this trend has concerned some critics, others see the educational benefits of their use. Author of the report Pockets of Potential, Carly Shuler, believes that the devices offer a number of advantages to help achieve an effective and personalized learning experience.

“First, these devices are mobile and allow the parent to encourage anywhere, anytime learning. The second advantage is that, because of their relatively low cost and ubiquity, these devices allow educators to reach under-served children that are geographically or economically disadvantaged. The third is that these devices can encourage 21st century skill like communication and collaboration.”

She added: “These devices are a part of children’s lives today whether we like it or not, so we might as well be using them for good. Mobile devices aren’t going to solve our education crisis, but they are another tool in the toolkit that, if used properly, can enable meaningful learning experiences.”

Furthermore, these devices can help older users improve their concentration and brain function too. As well as providing affordable and more convenient access to reading material, online app stores also offer a vast number of apps that aim to intellectually stimulate users.

Furthermore, these devices can help older users improve their concentration and brain function too. As well as providing affordable and more convenient access to reading material, online app stores also offer a vast number of apps that aim to intellectually stimulate users.

Technological trends are also playing a major role and the convenience at which we accesses devices looks set to improve even further. Major gaming and sportsbook operators are leading the way in developing wearable technology, indicating in a Q&A with freebets that smartwatch development for their app is on their agenda.

While 32% of time spent on iOS and Android connected devices is on games, according to Flurry Analytics, 8% is spent on utility, 2% is spent on news and a further 2% is spent on productivity. That doesn’t include the 20% spent on browsers. In addition to this, smartphones are the most popular portable music device, with research proving that certain types of music can aid as a cue for recalling information.

Smartphones are useful in so many ways, but we should know better – and manage our time in the best possible way, because, unfortunately, depending on our smartphone for too long can disconnect us from real-life problems, social activities and other things that are just as important. In this case, we should view our smartphones as a way of aiding our cognitive abilities, but only when there is balance found with the outer world.

As with everything in life, if we learn to do things in moderation and within reason, we also learn that it is possible to reap benefits from doing so, and while many might say that the words ‘brain power’ are not appropriate, playing these games do help to keep it focused.