Playing video games to boost your brainpower? It might sound too good to be true, but playing video games like the ones you find on your phone could help keep you sharp for years to come.
“There’s been a lot of study in this area, and there’s certainly a link between mental stimulation and a reduced risk of reasoning decline in old age,” says Dr Gary Small, chair of psychiatry at Hackensack University Medical Centre in New Jersey and writer of The Memory Bible. Dr Small was formerly director of the UCLA Longevity Centre and has led studies on memory training programs.
For example, previous study originate that older adults who played multitasking video games for three hours a week for four weeks experienced significant developments in multitasking ability, working memory, and care, compared to those who didn’t. Researchers have observed that our ability to multitask declines as we approach our twenties, mirroring declines in other cognitive skills, such as cognitive and working reminiscence. By playing games that require juggling tasks, you can prevent cognitive decline and related diseases, such as dementia.
Games can also benefit younger brains. In Jun 2020, the U.S. Food and Medication Management (FDA) approved a digital game-based device to recover attention in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Rendering to the National Institute of Mental Health, children with ADHD are often restless, have difficulty concentrating, and act impulsively, which can lead to poor school performance. Available only by prescription, EndeavorRx is the first digital game-based treatment shown to improve symptoms associated with ADHD.
The key is finding a game that is challenging yet fun. “What happens with some of these games is that people just give up because it’s too much work,” says Small. “It’s important to find the right balance, where it’s not too hard and not too easy.”
One important caveat: Small cautions against getting carried away with the many studies that support the benefits of mental stimulation for brain health. “These are basically epidemiological studies, where a large number of people are observed and asked about their daily habits, and then followed to see who develops cognitive decline,” he says. Though the findings are promising, many studies can only show an connotation between mental stimulation and a lower risk of cognitive weakening; they don’t show reason and effect.
Start with this list of six apps for possibly better brain health, selected based on their top scores on the App Store and Google Play, and registered in no particular order. Your mind may or may not benefit, but at least you’ll have some fun.
1. BrainHQ
An international team of neuroscientists designed this brain training app. With it, you can take courses to achieve a specific brain training goal, from memory and processing speed to communication skills and more. Course lengths range from a few hours to over 20 hours. Fortunately, each BrainHQ workout is divided into two-minute sections, making it easy to fit brain training into a busy agenda.
Furthermore, each workout continuously adapts to your performance, ensuring you’re training at the right level. Monitor your progress in the app and compare your performance with other users of your age.
BrainHQ’s developers sponsored a previous study to amount the effects of BrainHQ on memory and attention in closely 500 adults aged 65 and older with no cognitive impairment. One group of adults practised six BrainHQ exercises for 1 hour a day, 5 days a week, while another group watched educational videos and took tests. After eight weeks of reliable training, those who completed the BrainHQ training saw greater developments in recollection and attention than those who did not.
2. Words With Friends 2
Words With Friends is one of Small’s favourite games. “Part of it is the social aspect,” he says. You can challenge friends or family to word games or face off against an opponent through the app. Unscramble words, complete crosswords, and solve word challenges to boost your vocabulary in a spiritually stimulating way.
For Small, Words With Friends is both social and relaxing, “and that’s all good for the brain.”
In fact, study publish in July 2021 in The Journals of Gerontology found that increased social interaction is associate with healthier brain tissue, or grey matter, in regions related to social functioning and protection against dementia. Grey matter loss is a well-known feature of Alzheimer’s disease, according to the writers of a education published in February 2021 in Frontiers in Ageing Neuroscience. Alzheimer’s disease is the most shared type of dementia diagnosed in older adults, according to the National Institute on Ageing.
3. Dakim BrainFitness
Dakim BrainFitness was created specifically to help users over 50 improve and protect their brain health. It offers thousands of exercises with videos, graphics, and music to provide an excellent brain workout routine.
In addition, the app features technology that adapts the emphasis and challenge of the exercises in real time.
According to study conducted by the UCLA School of Medication, older adults without dementia who used the BrainFitness database for 20 to 25 minutes a day, five days a week, for six months experienced significant improvements in two key cognitive functions: memory and language. No significant improvements were observed in the control collection. The results were available in The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry. However, Dakim, the creator of BrainFitness, partially funded the study, which could have influenced the results.
4. Wordle!
With over a million downloads on Google Play alone, Wordle! is a fashionable word game app. Try the daily puzzle, anywhere you have six attempts to solve the word of the day, which is always five letters long. Share and compare your results with friends to connect and enjoy some friendly competition.
If you want to go beyond the word of the day, take part in the timed word challenge, which involves meaning a word before time runs out. Or try the “clandestine word” mode, where you try to guess as many arguments as you can. You have three chances to guess each word using the letters and clues provided; if you guess wrong, you’ll have to start over.
5. Memorado
Memorado offers over 20 games across more than 720 levels to challenge your concentration. memory. Rational speed, logic, and observation skills. Take new IQ and performance tests every day, and the app will adjust the challenges to your abilities.
The app also delivers feedback on your progress in various mental skills. Monitor your performance and compare it with others’. Or challenge your friends to see who gets the highest score.
If you need a break, try new audio stories, relaxation exercises, meditation games, and daily stress-reduction tips.
6. Impulse — Mental Training
Impulse — Mental Training is rank number 1 in the health and fitness type on the App Store. According to its developer, it has over 20 million operators. Set goals in the app and receive a personalised mental training program. The programs offer short puzzles and games focused on the cognitive skills you want to improve. Such as memory, attention, concentration, mental math. Problem-solving, and creativity.
The app monitors your progress as you advance through the program. Providing feedback on your strengths and suggestions for improving your weaknesses.