Sep 19, 20202 min read

Brain Training Games: Do they really work?

First of all, what is brain training?

Brain training or also known as cognitive training is a program of regular activities that serve the purpose to improve one’s cognitive abilities. These abilities are brain-based skills based on how we think, read, learn, remember, pay attention, and problem-solve or reason. Brain training is a hypothesis that cognitive abilities can be improved by exercising the brain in the same way that physical fitness is improved by exercising the body.

Brain training ≠ Tutoring

Although tutoring and brain training seems to be very similar because they both can be beneficial to a person’s learning, they are very different. Tutoring is a method of learning, where a person delivers educational content to another, whereas brain training supposedly helps strengthen cognitive skills to help make the learning experience better.

How do brain training games work?

Games that are created and specialized for brain training is considered an active behaviour. The difference between active and passive behaviours is the interaction made, for example, playing games includes more thinking then watching someone else play a game. Active behaviours are thought to help strengthen the brain.

Luminosity’s ‘Memory Matrix’ is a game where you are supposed to quickly memorize a group of tiles on a grid. Each time you pass a level the grid size increases to make it more difficult for the player. This is supposed to challenge a part of your short-term memory called spatial recall - your ability to track location, and position.

Does it work?

Many scientific investigations have been made on the effectiveness of brain training activities, and the majority have concluded that they have no impact on intelligence or everyday cognitive ability. Some brain training games will claim that their game will improve your cognitive abilities, and some won’t guarantee anything. In the end, brain training games could work so there isn’t a downside to giving them a try.

Check out this video made by Luminosity explaining “How to Interpret Cognitive Training Research.”