Facebook is good for you, Twitter not

Some technological inventions, such as Facebook, may help to improve memory because it requires people to hold a lot of information in their heads, says Tracy Alloway, a psychologist at Stirling University, in the UK.

Many scientists believe that it is possible to train the brain's working memory like an athlete trains muscles, and Alloway believes using Facebook could help because it works your memory by making you recall things over a short period of time.

Be warned though, Alloway also suggests that Twitter may work against improving your memory because it uses such small bite-sized phrases.

Therefore, your brain gets no work out and could even contribute to some people's lack of success, says Alloway.

- THE INDEPENDENT, NZ HERALD STAFF