Curiosity & Your Brain on Google
Are you a curious person?
Dr. Daniel J. Levitin, cognitive psychologist and neuroscientist writes in his book, Successful Aging: A Neuroscientist Explores the Power and Potential of Our Lives (Senior Tech Club will earn a small fee if you purchase this book from this link)
Openness and curiosity correlate highly with good health and long life.
Curiosity is a good thing and your smartphone is a tool that can support a thirst for information.
There is more good news for the curious.
Today we search the Internet to search for information. Many will “Google” in order to learn about a topic. It’s a common approach for the curious.
Research coming out of the Longevity Center at UCLA suggests that searching the Internet is good for the brain. Internet searches exercise the brain beyond the exercise of plain reading.
Findings indicate that Internet searching appears much more stimulating than reading.
And the research report provided by Psychology Today, specifically calls out the benefit for older adults.
Older adults who are curious might be helping their brains when they search for answers. And many will search using Google.
Doing a Google search in your Safari browser couldn’t be simpler. You can enter your search terms directly into Safari address bar.
To help you with your Google skills, this week’s featured recipes provides notes and tips for using Google on your device. The recipe includes eight tips for getting more out of your Google searches. For example, did you know that if you are expecting a package from UPS, FedEx or USPS, you can enter the tracking ID that you have received in an email directly to a Google search in order to learn delivery details. You don’t have to go to the shipper’s website!
And as you use Google, smile a little at the thought that you might be helping your brain a little. See, curiosity is a good thing.
Featured Recipe
This Senior Tech Club Recipe is normally only available to paid members of the club. However in order to share across the community, we have opened it up for everyone’s learning. If you appreciate the learning opportunities we provide, consider a paid membership to support our efforts. This link will give you a 25% discount on an annual subscription with the coupon code “nuggets.”
News & Events
Here are news and events on the Senior Tech calendar for the coming weeks. Reply to this email if you want more information.
Here are the upcoming classes scheduled for the month of March along with links where you can receive more information. Senior Tech Time (iPhone) – St Anthony Community Services March 23 2-4 pm Stay Safe with your iPhone. This class will review the basic security and safety setup for your iPhone and iPad. This includes Touch ID, Face ID, Emergency SOS, Driving with your iPhone, Setting up Medical ID, Blocking TeleMarketers and general recommendations about avoiding phishing and malware. St. Anthony Community Services – 612-706-1166 or website Senior Tech Time (Android) – St Anthony Community Services March 25 2-4 pm How to Make your Android SmartPhone Smarter. This class explores the features of the Android smartphone that are most useful for older adults. This includes bringing widgets to the home screen, managing notifications, using Google assistant and activating do not disturb. St. Anthony Community Services – 612-706-1166 or website iPhone users who are 65+ are invited to join the Johnson & Johnson Heartline Study and receive an Apple Watch for $49. This is not only a great price for an Apple Watch but an opportunity to learn about heart health and participate in medical research. See the eligibility requirements, application and frequently asked question on the Heartline website. A fun and heart-warming story from this past week involved the family of an iPhone 11 user from Montana. They were visiting Disney World with their six-year old girl. It was a dream of her short lifetime. Starting with the iPhone 7, our iPhones have become increasingly waterproof. The iPhone 11 is the most waterproof iPhone Apple has manufactured. But dropping your iPhone into the Seven Seas Lagoon at Disney World is not in the specifications. And certainly having it submerged for nearly two months is beyond belief. It survived! You can read the story at the MacRumors web site and then take some comfort in knowing that your iPhone is capable of surviving a dunk in a pool, ocean or lake. But don’t ever submerge your phone to wash it. Are you looking for entertainment in our hunkered down situation? HBO is offering some of its programming for FREE. In fact, all you have to do is install the HBO GO app on your iPhone or iPad and the free programs are available without registering or even creating a login. The available programs include Silicon Valley, The Sopranos, Veep and more. There are even some movies. A full list is found at the HBO website. Get the HBO GO app at the App Store. I also found the programming was available through other outlets that make HBO available. March 2020 Classes
Contribute to Medical Research & Get an Apple Watch for $49
Magical Ending to Disney World Trip
C-19 Entertainment: Watch HBO for FREE
