The Truth About Brain Training

The Truth About Brain Training We've all seen the commercials: Work for minutes a day brain training online and you'll become sharper, smarter and altogether happier with your mind. But do the games and exercises on these websites actually make you smarter? What about more traditional games like Sudoku and crossword puzzles? Let's look at some of the scientific evidence regarding brain training. Brain Myths Let's start out with a couple of myths about the brain. So many people these days are worried that their brain will deteriorate without "exercising" it; the truth is, regular stimulation and use are all that's required to keep an active, healthy brain. In other words, just by being alive, you're "exercising" your brain. MYTH 1: ΜΥΤΗ 2: You use only 10% of your brain. Doing daily puzzles keeps your brain young. FALSE FALSE All different parts of your brain are required for everyday activities like breathing, eating, seeing and processing simple information. There is no evidence-based research to suggest that things like daily crossword puzzles, Sudoku or brain-training exercises stave off dementia or keep your brain from aging any more than regular physical exercise or socializing with other people. The Claims The Evidence Each brain-training website makes its own claims regarding its unique ability to "work out" your brain and make you smarter and better at daily brain activities. Many of these websites publish their own research and claim to have studies that back their activities as useful. For example . G6 Several studies have been published on Lumosity's ability to improve key abilities such as WORKING MEMORY, VISUAL ATTENTION and EXECUTIVE FUNCTION. 11 -Lumosity.com 45 ff Regular mental workouts of only 10-20 MINUTES DAILY can improve your cognitive function and brain processing speed. 19 -Mybraintrainer.com G6 You will find some brain fitness workouts that can help your mind process information more quickly. and more efficiently, as well as the ability to perform MULTIPLE TASKS at the same time. 15 On its website, Lumosity states that SINCE 2007, 7 STUDIES HAVE BEEN PUBLISHED ON THE EFFECTS OF LUMOSITY. 15 The studies have involved Lumosity's in-house researchers as well as outsiders. -Brainmetrix.com The Murky Truth Unfortunately, the few studies done outside of these websites have reached inconclusive results. THE NUMBER ON BRAIN TRAINING, though only a few tested benefits pertaining to real-life cognitive situations. About STUDIES PUBLISHED 150 A STUDY AT GEORGIA TECH FOUND IN ANOTHER STUDY AT CAMBRIDGE, THAT PLAYING "BRAIN GAMES" like 11,430 PARTICIPANTS TRAINED WEEKLY memory exercises made participants better at that particular exercise, but did not transfer to better memory as a whole. WITH TESTS DESIGNED TO IMPROVE COGNITIVE FUNCTION AND MEMORY. Participants only received higher test scores due to familiarity and not transferrable improved memory or function. SOURCES D http://lumosity.com http://mybraintrainer.com http://brainmetrix.com/ http://positscience.com D http://scientificamerican.com D http://nih.gov http://nature.com http://plosone.org http://fool.com http://npr.org degreelibrary.org