Brain-training apps promise sharper memory, faster thinking and a higher IQ. What does the science say?
The good news
If you practise a game, you get better at that game, and often at very similar tasks. Practice also builds useful strategies, such as chunking digits or scanning a grid.
The disappointing news
A large review of the evidence, published in 2016, concluded that the studies behind commercial brain training were often weak, and that evidence of "transfer" to everyday thinking or general intelligence was limited. Later work has mostly kept that cautious picture, with a few promising results in specific settings such as older adults and processing speed training.
So are games a waste of time?
No, as long as you set honest expectations:
- They are enjoyable, low-risk mental exercise.
- They help you learn the skill itself.
- They are a good way to notice your own progress and habits.
What gives broader benefit
Learning demanding new things: a language, an instrument, chess, programming, mathematics. These keep you in the zone where the task is hard and always changing, which seems to matter more than repeating the same game. Social activity, exercise and sleep add to it.
A balanced plan
- Play a few short games for fun and focus.
- Rotate types: memory, speed, logic, spatial.
- Add one real new skill you work on each month.
Try the seven games in Brain Games, then stretch yourself with the Puzzle Vault where each puzzle is new.