Are you into brain games to improve your mental clarity and memory? Perhaps you want to be better at problem solving, or more insightful, creative, and intelligent. Or, you hope this will stave off any mental decline that may come with age. The only problem is that research is far from showing that this is worth your time and investment.
There’s something about our brains wanting to buy into promises of improvement. We’re so committed that the 2015 industry projection is that we will spend $3 billion to improve our brains with these game training exercises. Yet, scientific research indicates we get very little for our money.
Here’s what you need to know about brain games
Brain training advertising plays on the concerns that you need better brain performance to be competitive. It promotes the idea that children with learning challenges, as well as, those not as challenged can benefit. Adults will benefit in their jobs and careers and older adults will benefit from a longer and better quality of mental functioning.
Research seems to be impressive with lots of studies and games being designed by neuroscientists. However as early as 2008, the Max Plank Institute for Human Development (Berlin) raised concern over game performance translating into improving everyday cognitive skills.
In 2014, they joined Standford Center on Longevity (Palo Alto) where 73 leading brain scientists issued A Consensus on the Brain Training Industry from the Scientific Community that critiqued the brain training industry’s exaggerations and misleading claims.
In response, 127 neuroscientists issued a rebuttal. Scientists to Stanford: Research Shows Brain Exercises Can Work agreed with the problem of industry claims but supported functional improvement in areas tested. However, the author, Deanne Alban who wrote Does Brain Training Work? Neuroscientists Speak Out found that many of the support studies showed improvement for those with specific brain problems.
There is research to indicate that people with specific brain problems such as seniors with (MCI) Mild Cognitive Impairment and those with schizophrenia have shown mental progress in using brain training programs.
Alban also notes a study of 74 healthy older adults by the US National Institute on Aging — The Advanced Cognitive Training for Independent and Vital Elderly (ACTIVE) study. A five-year follow-up showed retained improvement in memory, reasoning, and processing speed. But, a 10-year follow-up showed that memory was the same as the original control group and there was a slight decline in reasoning and processing speed.
The bad brain game news
Other early research that supported the benefits of brain training have not stood up to more rigorous examinations of larger study groups and multiple methods for measuring improvement.
The general conclusion is that improvements are in the ability to play a game through repeated exposure and practice. Claims of improving overall intelligence, problem-solving, memory is transitory and any benefits for deferring cognitive decline is suspect.
According to “… David Z Hambrick, associate professor of psychology at Michigan State University. … said brain-training games are “designed to tap into this ability to control attention. Their idea is that if we can improve the ability to control attention then we can, by extension, improve people’s intelligence… [but] if you find that people get better in one test of reasoning, it doesn’t necessarily mean that they’re smart; it means they’re better on one test of reasoning.”
Sorry to give you the bad news that training with brain games isn’t going to give you a better brain. But, you can look at brain games as entertainment. It’s a fun way to engage in different kinds of mental stimulation. It’s also a way to compete against yourself and improve your mental skills in playing each of the different brain games.
The good brain improvement news
Scientists already know the key is keeping your brain healthy and functioning better by starting with the basic three’s: good nutrition, good sleep, and physical exercise to stimulate blood flow to the brain. Then add to that mental stimulation in the form of new learning experiences.
What we do know is that the brain is not born with a limited number of brain cells that die off over time. Rather the brain is quite plastic in forming new cells and new neural connections when stimulated. That’s why there is greater brain value in:
- Learning a new skill or language
- Travel
- Playing a musical instrument
- Increasing social activities and engagement
- Taking up new interests and hobbies
- Expanding reading in different subject areas
- Keeping active with challenging board or card games
- Creating new mnemonics (memory associations)
- Even getting into video games with story lines are better than brain game training
If you want to continue with letting your brain play brain games know that your time spent will improve your game skills but nothing long term. And maybe in the not too distant future, we’ll see better results. But in the meantime, training with brain games will not increase your intelligence, give you a long lasting better memory or forestall the onset of any cognitive decline.
What are you doing to improve your brain?
Resources:
http://longevity3.stanford.edu/blog/2014/10/15/the-consensus-on-the-brain-training-industry-from-the-scientific-community-2/
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2013/apr/21/brain-training-online-neuroscience-elizabeth-day
http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2014/10/neuroscientists-speak-out-against-brain-game-hype
http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2014/12/the-myth-of-the-brain-game/383356/
Image: Pixabay 752051
Joyce,
I am so using this on my next research project when my professor tries to get me to “learn” something new and uses the “your brain will appreciate it” speech! lol I am also not going to tell my nephew his video games (some of which have extremely intricate story lines) may be helping! Great post, either way. I always love information on how our brains work, so thank you for this. 🙂
I did brain games online for a short (very short) period of time, but I found myself getting anxious…the whole, Type-A, gotta be the best/fastest thing going on. Who needs that for “fun”? So I quit. Mom used to do crossword puzzles to keep her brain sharp, and they did, right up until the cancer took her.
Thanks for commenting Jackie. Others have mentioned that it was becoming stressful rather than fun and stimulating. Crossword puzzles are a great alternative.
Hi Joyce,
Fantastic post! Very informative too! I know for sure that exercise definitely helps my brain with all of those endorphins 🙂 As for playing “brain games”, I find doing crosswords and writing helps me as well 🙂 Thanks for sharing this awesome information 🙂
Glad you enjoyed the post, Joan. There are lots of alternatives to keeping the brain sharp. And, did I mention cheaper as well.
Never one into brain games… as my brain works a mile a minute and usually doesn’t shut the heck up! lol I wish it would stop sometimes but it doesn’t… do you have anything on that? lol
Yes, deep breathing and essential oils to rub on your temples are calmatives. And, if you really want to get creative, talk to your brain and tell it how much you appreciate what it is doing for you, but you would like it to slow down just a little. You probably will have to repeat this message for a while until it sinks in.
I believe that social interaction and stimulating conversations could be ways to use and stretch our brains too, Joyce! Also daily walks and finding things that stimulate us in life. My 100-year-old mother has an impeccable memory and was a very active athlete when she was young. She is and was also highly social and kept busy playing majong and participating in community activities. She also has been an avid reader for all her life. I wonder how much is heredity too, as her mother had a strong memory and kept her mental capacity until the very end. My memory is strong as well and I do read, learn and love stimulating conversations. Our current challenge is the impact of EMF’s on not only our brains, but also on her physical health. I actually just read a report that because the FCC passed legislation allowing 5G, it’s “Very likely that Alzheimer’s, autism, ADHD, asthma, autoimmune disease, diabetes, gliomas, will continue to increase at even faster than current rates.” Thought I would share this with you as I know you are quite interested in all things relating to the brain! Very interesting post, as I’ve personally not been a ‘brain game’ person.
Your right to be concerned about the EMF’s Beverley. I’ve written about this in the past. There’s a lot of good research out there about the dangers, but of course, corporations don’t want you to know that. I used a bed pad and a computer mat from a company call Earthing to modify my EMF exposure by creating a grounding condition. That’s also a reason to get out and walk and be in nature so that you can connect to the earth’s magnetic resonance. All of the activities you mention are good for the brain, and it sounds like your family has been passing down some really good genes.
For me, the good news is clearing up the myth that we are born with limited brain cells and the die off. So glad that is not true. I think once anyone took on being an entrepreneur and participating in social marketing, our brains are actively in use daily.
Love the topics you write about. Thanks for feeding our brains.
Glad to clear up that myth for you Roz. And, you’re absolutely right that entrepreneurship and social marketing keeps our brains growing and going. You also have the brain advantage because you’re actively engaged in a physical creative endeavor as well. So, I predict a long and good brain life for you.
I want to learn a new language – I have started an stopped too many times. I dunno, my brain hurts…..
Uh! Formal language learning can be non-productive for some. It makes more sense if you had a reason for learning because you were travelling to a place where it was spoken. Sometimes people have better success by learning to speak in small conversational groups. Hey, if language isn’t your thing there’s other things to try. It’s all about having new learning experiences.
I always learn so much from your posts, Joyce. It’s interesting to try to understand how the brain works. My brain gets a major workout just about every time I go online as I’m reading such a variety of things as well as dealing with numerous tech issues that seem to pop up on a daily basis. I started my blog about a year ago and that in itself ticks off about half of the tips you gave for improving your brain.
Oh, I can relate Tami. Since starting blogging, I think my brain has been immeasurably stretched. As for tech problems, some days I just lose my brain altogether. But, that’s what it’s about – giving your brain new things for your brain cells to work on.
I love this post. I didn’t even know about the studies about brain games. Brain games are fun though! I can’t always do the well but I do enjoy them.
Sabrina, so long as you enjoy them that’s what’s important.
Very interesting, Joyce! I’d been hearing hints of this, but great to have the actual info.
I would add physical exercise to your list. All the new studies are proving that to be effective in staving off dementia.
Great post!
Thanks for the reminder Susan. Yes, physical exercise should have been added to the list. Hopefully, people will engage in as many new activities as they can.
I had encephalitis when I was a young mom. I was expected to die but didn’t. I was determined to get some brain power back. At the time, once I was well enough to take my children places, I was so limited that I could only watch one of them at a time. If I was checking that my daughter was ok in the sandbox, I wouldn’t see my son run into a swing. It took a long time and I still am not as bright as I used to be but I really do think that taking up new endeavors and learning new things (not brain games!) has improved my mental powers.
Interesting article, as usual, Joyce.
Yes, staying active and engaged in life is what it is all about. The brain cells are not finite and new cells and new neuro connections are being made when we stimulate the brain. This revelation has changed the way we look at healing the brain. Glad to hear that you were able to recover so well.
Joyce – a great article. I would guess that physical activity – taking daily walks in a natural setting, for instance, wouldn’t hurt and would probably help short- and long-term brain function. It sounds absurd, but I swear if I engage in the activities you listed above, (learning a new language, reading about a new subject, etc.) I can almost FEEL my brain expanding. Likewise, when I play brain games, I can feel a soothing effect on my brain – like a rest. It’s not a bad thing, but I just am guessing that the benefit of some activities equates to much-needed rest, while others lead to new neural connections, especially when we’re young.
Good observation Joan. Yes, physical activity is good as well, and I did forget to add it to the list. The overall important thing is to engage the brain in many different ways and not fall into a sedentary and predictable lifestyle. But, I don’t see that with all of use bloggers. Our brains are buzzing with something new every week.