The Poorhouse is a big fan of acronyms, and here's a new one that surely is about to take the world by storm: WILB. Researchers (well, a researcher) use it to mean "Workplace Internet Leisure Browsing". You might have heard of it under other guises - perhaps "skiving", or "taking another break", or "squandering company resources, you're fired."

Only perhaps you shouldn't be. In fact, maybe you should be promoted. Raw hard science (kind of) proves it. Thank you Dr Coker, and your University of Melbourne study.

To quote our hero:

People who do surf the Internet for fun at work - within a reasonable limit of less than 20% of their total time in the office - are more productive by about 9% than those who don't,

Details are a little scarce on the press release, so it's hard to say exactly what "productivity" is measured by and what "fun" is - but hey, it's the result we want, so let's just print it out and use it in future awkward HR-based verbal battles.

20% is pretty generous too! If you do an 8 hour day (lucky you) that's a good - and in previous lives a piss-taking - hour and a half of solid recreational surfing. Good stuff.

The principle is basically that if you do hard work involving concentration, you'll be done after a while. A short, refreshing break - whether this be a visit to the gym or, far more realistically, a Facebook surf or a semi-pornographic Youtube clip - does wonders to refresh your sharp mind into a state to re-engage with the dull workload.

Their survey of 300 people said that 70% of people already do WILB. The other 30% presumably work in jobs without technology. Of them, the top activities were researching products and reading news. Playing games and a bit of Youtube were also in the top 10. Facebook was not mentioned in the press release, but surely has got to be up there, especially amongst the younger, more bored, office types.

Well, actually, perhaps there is a reason it doesn't feature. Unshockingly, it seems there is at least one site out there that is far from brain-enhancing.

Of course it, and worse, has been said before. Don't forget the perils of FB-induced mind infantilisation, autism and cancer now. But to add to the volume of evidence here's one from Karpinski, from Ohio State University. Facebook makes you educationally stupider.

Her study found that Facebook user GPAs were in the 3.0 to 3.5 range on average, compared to 3.5 to 4.0 for non-users. Facebook users also studied anywhere from one to five hours per week, compared to non-users who studied 11 to 15 or more hours per week.

The kids deny it of course, well 79% of them anyway - just like us "grown-ups" do, but, they're the numbers. Having it on your screen during lectures, which is apparently a wide enoughphenomena, is probably a bit OTT though. Although, let's be fair, prior to the no Blackberries rule the odd 6 hour "business" Poorhouse Powerpoint session was often enhanced by a quick burst. But being educated is supposed to make you better, sitting in a meeting invariably does not.

To give credit to the researcher and indeed the news sources that mentioned it, we are looking at statistical correlation rather than causation on the surface of it. There's plenty of possible "3rd variable" link possibilities. But really, would it be that surprising if one found out that spending all day informing the world that you're going for a dump (well, look, Facebook does seem to want to be Twitter, they've only got themselves to blame) and reviewing the results of quizzes that mandate that you fake friend is most similar to Carrie out of "Sex and the City" did actually medically rot your mind? Still, who needs brain cells anyway.