alt Hacker News> so I can enjoy the same effects by looking at tiktoks of birds,
Birdwatching includes looking at top trees searching for birds. Looking at complex fractal-like accumulations of branches and leaves. Also following sounds and identifying their source. The brain was designed for this task.
A screen does not seem a substituted for such a incredible rich experience. Screens are a flat low-resolution, low fidelity view of reality. And no brain has evolved to watch at them. It can actually be quite tiresome to look at screens all day, as so many things about them go against how our eyes and brains work.
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Isn't this counter to the idea that gaming can also slow cognitive decline for similar reasons?
The average CounterStrike player, for example, is scanning complex structures trying to identify an enemy, listening to sounds and trying to follow the source...etc. Why would the screen get in the way in one case but not the other?
My cat's brain sure does seem to be stimulated by birdwatching on a screen. He tries to kill them, then walks behind the screen and has a WTF moment, and returns to the front to try to kill them again.
It's very entertaining for me, but I don't do it to him very often lest he become miswired.