Discover the best ways to keep the brain sharp! Challenging new activities, hold the key to boosting memory, focus, and cognition.
Approximately 2.3 million adults in the U.S. over the age of 65—more than 4%—have received a diagnosis of dementia. Even in the absence of a formal diagnosis, some level of cognitive decline is a natural part of aging.
Concerns about cognitive decline or moments of forgetfulness, especially during periods of stress, often lead to a desire for enhanced mental clarity.
Encouragingly, research indicates that adjustments made throughout adulthood can help prevent or delay cognitive decline and even lower the risk of dementia. Key lifestyle changes include discontinuing tobacco use and effectively managing blood pressure.
Beyond these modifications, many turn to brain-training games, which are marketed as tools for optimizing mental efficiency and capacity at any stage of life. Developers of these applications assert that their products can help maintain cognitive function and even enhance intelligence.
However, scientific findings regarding these claims remain inconclusive.
Cognitive neuroscientists specializing in brain health across adulthood are dedicated to understanding how the brain influences cognition. Through brain imaging, valuable insights emerge about natural changes in brain function over time and the potential effects of cognitive training interventions.
Ongoing research highlights the brain’s response to new learning experiences, shedding light on strategies that support long-term brain health. These studies also provide guidance on how brain-training games may contribute to cognitive well-being when used effectively.
Brain Training: Fact vs. Fiction
Brain training consists of tasks, often computerized, that are based on established cognitive tests but presented in a gamified format.
Most brain-training games are designed to enhance specific skills. One example involves displaying a letter-number combination, requiring quick identification of whether the number is even or odd. At times, the task shifts to determining whether the letter is a consonant or vowel. Increased difficulty may be introduced by imposing time constraints.
These games demand a high level of attention, rapid processing speed, and cognitive flexibility to switch between rules—abilities categorized as executive functioning.
However, research suggests that skills developed within these games do not always translate into broader, real-world cognitive improvements. The effectiveness of brain games in producing lasting cognitive benefits remains a topic of debate among psychologists. Substantiating such claims requires rigorous evidence demonstrating improvements in cognitive or brain function beyond the game itself.
“To make such claims requires rigorous evidence that playing a specific game improves cognitive or brain performance.”
In 2016, the Federal Trade Commission imposed a $50 million penalty on Lumosity, a widely recognized brain-training game, for misleading consumers by suggesting that its product could enhance mental performance in professional or academic settings and prevent or delay cognitive decline.
If progress in brain-training games leads only to improvement within similar tasks, a shift in game design strategies may be necessary.
Adding Challenge for Cognitive Gains
The Synapse Project explored the impact of engaging, mentally stimulating activities on cognitive function. One group of participants took on new, unfamiliar activities such as digital photography or quilting—tasks designed to be challenging and performed in a social environment.
A second group engaged in activities requiring less active learning, such as themed discussions on travel or cooking, crossword puzzles, listening to music, or watching classic movies. Sessions took place for 15 hours per week over 14 weeks, with cognitive abilities assessed at both the beginning and end of the study.
Significant improvements in memory, processing speed, and reasoning abilities were observed in those assigned to new, mentally demanding activities. Since cognitive tests were not part of the training itself, these improvements indicated that skills gained from challenging activities transferred to new situations, such as recalling information or solving abstract problems.
Brain scans further revealed that participants engaged in complex tasks showed increased neural efficiency, meaning less mental effort was required to solve problems or remember details.
“The study also showed that the more time participants spent on their projects, the bigger their brain gains and the better their memory was at the end of the 14 weeks.”
A key distinction between these activities and traditional brain training lies in the setting—whether practiced alone or in a group. While other studies have highlighted the benefits of social interaction, results from the Synapse Project indicated that challenge, rather than social engagement, played the most significant role in maintaining cognitive and brain health.
Strategies for Maintaining a Healthy Brain
Taking up digital photography or quilting may seem appealing, but the specific activity matters less than the challenge it presents. Engaging in new, effortful learning naturally stimulates cognitive function.
The process of learning something unfamiliar—often accompanied by effort and occasional frustration—activates key brain regions. The frontal lobe, responsible for thinking and judgment, and the parietal lobe, which processes attention and integrates sensory inputs, work together to keep the mind adaptable. This dynamic interaction helps prevent the brain from settling into “habit mode.”
Brain-training games may not always provide the most effective path to cognitive improvement. Surprisingly, effortful games not specifically marketed for brain training have been linked to cognitive benefits.
“For example, games such as Tetris or real-time strategy games such as Rise of Nations have shown improvements in players’ cognition. Research has even shown that playing Super Mario 64 can result in increases in brain volume in regions such as the hippocampus, the memory center of the brain.”
While most brain-training programs lack strong evidence of global cognitive improvement, some may enhance specific cognitive functions. The key factor remains the level of challenge.
Those who prefer word-based tasks might benefit from switching to a numbers-based game, while those comfortable with math may find value in word puzzles. Discomfort often signals an effective mental workout. Once familiarity sets in, increasing difficulty, switching tasks, or adopting a new challenge can provide continued cognitive benefits.
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1529100616661983
Abstract