Study suggests that the “brain training” industry may be a placebo

Re:Study suggests that the “brain training” industry may be ... by rezashirazian on Monday June 20, 2016 @04:15PM (#11941151)

I've spent sometime studying this. I personally believe Lumosity and the like are a waste of time (if not a downright scam) and do not make anyone smarter. Until I see scientific data that proves otherwise this will remain my belief. However that doesn't mean I don't believe in brain training

By your definition, smart is knowledge AND the ability to draw connection between facts and ideas. And although solving simple puzzles may not train you for the latter, continuously solving mathematical problems (that may otherwise not have any real world applications) will train your brain to find patterns.

If someone can make Calculus, Graph Theory and Discrete Mathematics fun enough for people to tackle daily, you'll have a real brain exercise platform.

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Re:Study suggests that the “brain training” industry may be ... by atelic on Monday June 20, 2016 @04:52PM (#11941471)

Here [0] is an interesting article that talks about both sides of this argument. It has examples of studies that have shown real life advantages to these types of brain training. Some examples include increased scores on standardized tests in teenagers and better memory recall in adults 65+

[0]: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/22/magazine/can-you-make-your...

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Re:Study suggests that the “brain training” industry may be ... by eric_h on Monday June 20, 2016 @06:56PM (#11942271)

I like the analogy that the brain is a muscle and if you don't exercise it, parts of it start to atrophy.

I think these brain games actually bring a lot of value to people who have retired and are no longer required to exercise their brains in order to fulfill their basic requirements of life.

Maybe they don't make you smarter, but perhaps they help prevent you from getting stupid.

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Re:Study suggests that the “brain training” industry may be ... by serg_chernata on Monday June 20, 2016 @04:19PM (#11941191)

Good points, would this work with other puzzle types that do not involve math? Is there a threshold of difficulty for these puzzles to become useful?

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