Brain Training Games Might Not Be Any Better Than Video Games For Improving The Mind Suggests New Study
There are a lot of brain training games on the market today, sold under the guise that with regular use of them it will help to boost brain performance and cognitive function.
Many people use brain training exercise games to try and keep their mind sharp, improve their memory, or decision-making abilities, but do these games work effectively at achieving such a goal?
A new study suggests that they might be no better than your average video game when it comes to boosting brain power.
A recent study by the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, which was published in the Journal of Neuroscience, found that brain training games have zero effect on decision-making; same with cognitive function beyond that for the tasks being practiced.
The researchers originally were seeking to determine if such brain games would be able to help people to reduce their propensity to make risky impulse decisions; like the decision to overeat or smoke.
They wanted to know if these games work as a tool to help people make a change in their life that they wanted to make. The reasoning was that if these games could alter and change brain activity for the better, then perhaps they could be used to reduce the likelihood that unwanted behaviors would occur.
The study involved 128 participants and they were tasked with either playing a regular video game for 10 weeks or a brain-training game. After playing the games, they were tested for their mental performance both before and after the training.
From there, the researchers found that there was no evidence to suggest that the brain-training games were going to make people any smarter, improve their memory or decision making, or improve their attention and more.
The results from their study are somewhat amusing, considering that just a few weeks ago there was another study which came out that suggested that playing video games (the non brain-training kind) might help to improve academic success.
Previous studies have also sought to investigate the effectiveness of these brain-training games.
Earlier studies have suggested that those who play the games might experience improvement with regard to some of their mental processing. But even the researchers from the present study above admitted that they found that there could be improvement for tasks which the game was specifically teaching. But does that translate to better overall brain health and functioning? That doesn't really look like it's the case.
Pics:
Pixabay
Sources:
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/07/170710135410.htm
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/2017/07/11/brain-training-games-dont-actually-train-brain-study-says/
http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0061624
https://www.livescience.com/29246-brain-games-slow-mental-decline.html?cmpid=514645
I think that drawing glasses on people also showed the same increase in intellect.
She certainly looks smarter.
I have read some studies about brain training games as well. One of those studies suggest that Brain training games make you good at playing those games and nothing more. No benefits to actually improve you in any way other than becoming good at brain training games...
They need to actually figure out if it improves the brain or not instead of saying one and then the other later... which one is it
I believe this is true! It's basically the same concept.
Lovely day to you :)
I'm confident that certain games involve our brain, such as strategy games (Starcraft 2). That's just my opinion.
Just my two cents worth,, Who paid for each study? But I do thank you for bringing me the info. Take care.
Oh thank goodness I've been doing brain games because of my brain degeneration and now I can quit sound good to me have a beautiful night🌷
@doitvoluntarily- That is a surprising result. If those brain games do not help decision making abilities and congnitive functions then video games are actually better. There is a concern that the first person shooter type games encourage violent behaviour in kids but it is not a proven fact.. Thanks for sharing this interesting update. Upvoted.
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Brain training games gives me a headache, I used to use them a lot
Yes, I've heard this kind of thing too.
I used to play a lot of those games when I was younger, and I never really saw any kind of improvement in anything I did. The only games that actually made me good at something were games where I had to either think really well, or games that required me to move really fast.
For example, strategy games that required me to focus on multiple things and think two or three moves ahead helped me in that area. League of Legends for example is a game that requires you to focus on multiple things at the same time and think two or three moves ahead.
It helped me a lot when it comes to my work, especially graphic design, because now I'm more capable of thinking about all the steps I need to do before doing them and avoid any future problem that I may have.
Small shooting games that require me to aim very fast and in certain locations also helped me again, with my work. I was able to move my mouse faster because I was comfortable doing it and with more precision.
Even typing games like the TypeRacer website helped me type faster and focus more on the things that I want to write than on the keyboard.
So there are games that influence the way you do things, or that boost the way you think in certain areas, but just because people say a game will improve your brain, it doesn't mean it's actually true. What those games will improve is your ability to maybe solve those kind of problems featured in the game, but nothing more.
Anyway, great article and best of luck!