Is Facebook better for your brain than Twitter?

That's the theory of a "working memory" expert in Scotland, who claims that keeping in touch with your Facebook friends is much more likely to boost your cognitive skills than "instant" activities like texting and Twitter.

The story comes from the Telegraph in the U.K., which reports that memory expert Dr. Tracy Alloway from the University of Stirling in Scotland thinks that activities like Facebook, Sudoku, and even video games that "involve planning and strategy" help you develop your "working memory"—or, more specifically, your ability to "both remember information and use it."

But what about when you fire off a text message to a pal, tweet about your lunch plans, or watch skating cats on YouTube? Not so good, according to Alloway, who says that the "endless stream on information" on Twitter is "also very distinct," meaning that "your don't have to process that information."

"Your attention span is being reduced and you're not engaging your brain and improving nerve connections," Alloway added (as quoted in the Telegraph story).

Of course, that's just Alloway's theory; there's no evidence in the Telegraph article of any studies proving that Facebook users are brainiacs compared to Twitter fanatics.

And there's also the matter of what kind of Twitter and/or Facebook users you happen to be. Are you actively engaging your fellow Twitter users in extended 140-character back-and-forths? Or are you passively letting wave after wave of mindless tweets wash over you? Same goes for Facebook users; are you just posting five-word status updates, or are you actively involved in an online (or wireless) community?

So, what do you think: Does Facebook make your smarter than Twitter? Are they both good—or bad—for your noodle? Already forgotten the question? Fire away.

Related:
Facebook 'enhances intelligence' but Twitter 'diminishes it', claims psychologist [Telegraph]