Heater on really help?

I've heard that if you leave your inside temp gauge on the dash to heat, it takes heat from the engine to the heater core for the interior. Does this help to rid of damaging heat created by the engine? Does the engine run cooler? Let me hear some real advice.

it helps lower the temp by a little bit, maybe 10 degrees, its alot when your car is overheating, but no gains really. helps your car run cooler.

if your car is running at normal temps its not going to be a noticeable difference if you turn the heater on, especially in the middle of a hot day. the radiator does a much better job of cooling the motor. however, if the radiator fails, the heater is a last ditch effort to keep from overheating too badly before you can get to where you need to be. it only buys a little bit of time though, and you have to turn the heater on all the way for it to do anything. in the winter the effects are a bit more noticeable since the difference between the air temp and the engine is much greater, but still not anything great.

my temp gauge falls a little when i turn on the heat. Only when its drawing fresh air from the engine bay though.