A small experiment at the University of Arizona suggests it may be a way for seniors to keep their mental skills sharp.
In the 8-week project, three groups of 14 seniors were trained in using Facebook, then assigned to one of three groups - using Facebook, using a different online diary, or not using any online social media at all.
At end of 8 weeks, the Facebook users did 25% better on tests of their working memory, compared to non-users.
Working memory is the ability to hold - and handle - a number of pieces of information at a time.
