Spending time on Facebook and playing video war games could enhance a key element of intelligence that is vital to success in life.

Psychologist Dr Tracy Alloway, who made the claim, also believes solving Sudoku puzzles may have the same effect.

But text messaging, micro-blogging on 'Twitter' and watching YouTube are all likely to weaken 'working memory', which involves the ability both to remember information and to use it.

Dr Alloway, from the University of Stirling in Scotland, has extensively studied working memory and believes it to be far more important to success and happiness than IQ.

She also thinks video games that involve planning and strategy, such as those from the Total War series, may train working memory because the player is keeping track of past actions and planning for the future.

Spending time on Facebook and playing video war games could enhance a key element of intelligence that is vital to success in life.

Psychologist Dr Tracy Alloway, who made the claim, also believes solving Sudoku puzzles may have the same effect.

But text messaging, micro-blogging on 'Twitter' and watching YouTube are all likely to weaken 'working memory', which involves the ability both to remember information and to use it.

Dr Alloway, from the University of Stirling in Scotland, has extensively studied working memory and believes it to be far more important to success and happiness than IQ.

She also thinks video games that involve planning and strategy, such as those from the Total War series, may train working memory because the player is keeping track of past actions and planning for the future.

The global design practice, Populous, won the architecture design competition for the $400 million main stadium in Incheon, Korea, for the 2014 Asian games. The 70,000 seat multipurpose stadium will be designed to later be changed to a single sided grandstand of 30,000-seats, within a park, after the Asian games. It will be located between Incheon international airport and Seoul, and will be the first landmark building people see when travelling to Seoul from the airport. Populous will design the new stadium with the local firm Heerim Architects & Planners and will establish a team of at least 10 architects in Brisbane, the firm’s key Asian office, to work closely with Heerim in Incheon.

Other projects by Populous include Suncorp stadium in Brisbane, the Yankees new stadium in New York and is designing the main stadium in London for the 2012 Olympic Games.

Dr Alloway, from the University of Stirling in Scotland, has extensively studied working memory and believes it to be far more important to success and happiness than IQ.