Flex your brain muscles with game apps that could help sharpen memory and focus. Here are several to consider trying.
Play games, boost brainpower? It may sound too good to be true, but playing games like those you’d find on your phone could help you stay sharp for years to come.
“There’s been a lot of research in this area and there’s definitely a link between mental stimulation and lowering your risk for cognitive decline with age,” says Gary Small, MD, chair of psychiatry at Hackensack University Medical Center in New Jersey, and author of The Memory Bible. Dr. Small is the former director of the UCLA Longevity Center and has led studies on memory fitness programs.
For example, previous research found that older adults who played a multitasking video game three hours a week for four weeks saw significant improvements in multitasking ability, working memory, and attention, compared with those who did not. The researchers note that our ability to multitask declines once we leave our twenties, similarly to the decline in other cognitive skills, such as reasoning and working memory. By playing games that require you to juggle tasks, you may be able to stave off cognitive decline and related diseases like dementia.
Games may benefit younger brains, too. In June 2020, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) permitted marketing of a game-based digital device to improve attention function in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Kids with ADHD are often restless, struggle to stay focused, and act impulsively, which can lead to poor school performance, per the National Institute of Mental Health. Available only by prescription, EndeavorRx is the first game-based digital therapeutic treatment shown to improve symptoms associated with ADHD.
The key is finding a game that’s challenging but still fun. “What happens with some of these games is people just give up because it’s too much work,” Small says. “It’s important to find the sweet spot, where it’s not too difficult and it’s not too easy.”
One major caveat: Small cautions against getting too excited about many of the studies behind the brain-health benefits of mental stimulation. “They’re primarily epidemiological studies, where you look at a large number of people and ask questions about their daily habits, and then you track them and see who declines cognitively,” he says. While the findings are promising, many studies can only show an association between mental stimulation and a reduced risk of cognitive decline — they don’t prove cause and effect.
Start with this list of six apps for potentially better brain health, selected based on top ratings on the App Store and Google Play, and listed in no particular order. Your mind may or may not benefit, but at the very least, you’ll have a little fun.
Free, with in-app purchases
This brain training app was designed by an international team of neuroscientists. With it, you can take courses to target a particular brain-training goal, from memory to brain speed, people skills, and more. Courses range in length from a few hours to more than 20 hours. Thankfully, each BrainHQ exercise is broken up into two-minute segments, making it easy to fit brain training into a busy schedule.
Plus, each exercise continuously adapts to your performance, ensuring you train at the right level for you. Track your progress in the app and see how your performance compares with other users in your age group.
The developers of BrainHQ sponsored a past study to measure the effects of BrainHQ on memory and attention in nearly 500 adults ages 65 and older who did not have cognitive impairment. One group of adults trained in six of the exercises in BrainHQ for one hour a day, five days a week, while another group watched educational videos and took quizzes. After eight weeks of consistent training, those who completed the BrainHQ training saw greater improvements in memory and attention than those who did not.
Free, with in-app purchases
Words With Friends is one of Small’s personal favorites. “Part of it is the social aspect of it,” he says. You can challenge friends or family members to play word games, or get matched with an opponent through the app. Unscramble words, fill in crossword puzzles, and solve word challenges to improve your vocabulary in a mentally stimulating way.
For Small, Words With Friends is both social and relaxing, “and these are all good things for your brain.”
In fact, research published in July 2021 in The Journals of Gerontology revealed that greater social engagement is associated with healthier brain tissue, or gray matter, in regions related to social functions and protection from dementia. Loss of gray matter is a prominent feature of Alzheimer’s disease, note the authors of a study published in February 2021 in Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common type of dementia diagnosed among older adults, per the National Institute on Aging.
Free, with in-app purchases
Dakim BrainFitness was specifically created to help users over the age of 50 improve and protect brain health. It has thousands of exercises that feature videos, graphics, and music to provide a well-rounded brain training routine.
Plus, the app features technology that tailors the focus and challenge of the exercises in real-time.
According to research conducted by the UCLA School of Medicine, older adults without dementia who used the BrainFitness program for 20 to 25 minutes per day, five days a week for six months saw significant improvements in two important cognitive functions: memory and language. No significant improvements were noted in the control group. The results were published in The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry. Yet Dakim, the creator of BrainFitness, partially funded the study. This may have influenced the results.
Free, with in-app purchases
With over one million downloads on Google Play alone, Wordle! is a trendy word game app. Try the daily puzzle, where you have six guesses to solve the word of the day, which is always five letters long. Share and compare results with friends to add social connection and healthy competition.
If you want to go beyond the word of the day, take a timed word challenge, which involves spelling a word before the timer runs out. Or try “secret word” mode, where you try to guess as many words as you can. You have three chances to guess each word with the letters and clues provided; guess incorrectly and you have to start over.
Free, with in-app purchases
Memorado offers over 20 games over 720 levels to challenge your concentration, memory, thinking speed, logic, and mindfulness. Take new IQ and performance tests daily and the app will adjust your challenges to suit your abilities.
The app also provides insights into your progress in different thinking skills. Track your performance and see how you stack up against other users. Or, challenge your friends to see who can achieve the highest score.
If you need a break, try the new audio relaxation stories and exercises, meditative games, and daily stress-lowering tips.
Free, with in-app purchases
Sitting at No. 1 in the App Store’s health and fitness category is Impulse — Brain Training. According to the app developer, it has more than 20 million users. Set goals in the app and receive a personalized brain training program. The programs offer bite-sized puzzles and games that target the cognitive skills you’re trying to improve, including memory, attention, concentration, mental math, problem-solving, and creativity.
The app keeps track of your progress as you move through your program, giving you insights on your strengths and offering suggestions to improve weak areas.
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