Are there any legitimate "brain training" apps/games/etc.?
I see so many of them around today but I am always skeptical of the scientific validity of them. I'm happy to pay a reasonable amount and I greatly value privacy. Main thing for me would be trying to improve memory.
Any recommendations are appreciated! If I need to go out and buy a DS and a copy of Brain Age, so be it.
Yes. It's called learning, and you can use just about any app to do it. Note taking apps, lecture/course apps, flash card apps, you name it.
But an app that arbitrarily claims to "improve your brain" with little addicting games? That's the opposite thing. Good luck
Anki is great for flashcards
But an app that arbitrarily claims to "improve your brain" with little addicting games? That's the opposite thing.
I mean, quick-fire math problems and memory games and such don't teach you anything, but they do help keep your brain "agile". If you want to compare it to physical fitness, then learning is like weightlifting and brain games are like cardio.
asking this is like asking whether there is a single gym routine that works out all muscles of the body.
there isn't. because what strains your pecs is different from what strains your glutes. that's why we have different routines for different muscle groups.
the brain isn't a just a simple little box. it has multiple functions which are triggered by vastly different stimuli. relying on "brain training" apps would be akin to only doing bicep curls every day--sure, your guns will be super but the rest of your body will still remain flabby and weak forever.
Sudoku is one that's been studied and shown, so far, to help with some cognitive issues.
All games can be brain training games, just depends on what you want to train.
going to become a genius by mastering atari's ET
I would say:
Both can be done on a phone I suppose.
Or just do them on a computer and stop being a peasant.
I have never been able to read a book on a computer. It just feels completely unnatural, even though I read a ton of articles, forum posts, manuals, etc. on my phone or computer. Not a peasant because they could historically usually not read let alone afford a book, but I do love actual physical books.
From what I have read there isn't any legitimate brain training apps for the average person. I know there are apps out there to help with specific disorders and things like that having some positive results, but everything I have seen on brain training shows little benefit from it, and it is really just a way to make yourself feel like you are doing something from what I can tell.
That being said, as someone with a bad memory, keeping a detailed journal and writing important or interesting things down when they happen help me remember things much better. If you can say what you want to remember out loud that is even better because it is another way to solidify what you are trying to remember.
A trick my counselor taught me is to Journal before bed, read what you wrote when you are finished, and then go to sleep. This is supposed to help with long term memory of what you wrote down, and I have seen improvement doing this with my long term memory.
Your brain gets good at what it does. There’s a bit of skill transfer here and there but overall, training your brain on brain training games trains your brain to play brain training games. Practice what you want to get good at
Portal & Portal 2
And if you're really feeling masochistic, Portal Reloaded
I'm trying to 100% the achievements in Portal without guides, and I'm doing the challenges now but I have never felt so fucking stupid.
Portal rewired my brain for a fairly long time. I was really thinking in portals. No game has influenced my head like that. L4D didn't have me seeing zombies everywhere.
Factorio will challenge all of your mental capabilities
It breaks me mentally but I can't stay away... I NEED THE CRACKTORIO!!
the factory must grow!
Here's what I do on my phone most of the time nowadays:
I almost got rid of all of my doomscrolling with actual brain activity. It feels great, and having different topics to choose from helps break the monotony.
The only thing “brain training” games train, is your ability to play their game. There are no games that make you smarter or improve your memory in everyday life. And the ones that say they do are the ones you need to stay away from.
I like sudoku and math problems
Lichess
I see Brilliant.org advertised often in educational YouTube, so that might be a good start. Those channels often have promo codes too
You could try this game for memory. https://onlinequicktool.com/tile-recall-game/
I started using Neuronation and am pretty happy with it so far. It has quite a bit of challenging tasks (math, quickly building words, logical thinking, memory training) you need to do. They test you one time to evaulate your skills and then the training is started at your own level. Normally you do it 10-15 min /day. They also seem to treat data privately and since the company behind is based in Germany they would have to comply to GDPR anyway which gives further protection. Got suggested to me from a friend which also has ADHD. His psychiatrist recommended it to him, so it seems to be mainly used in this context and also scientifically backed. I pay ~50€/year. Also I use it in German, but I'm sure it's also available in English
Take this course. You can do it for free. At least that was the case a couple years ago. Free version does not provide certificate of completion.
Really worth the time and effort!
Learning How to Learn: Powerful mental tools to help you master tough subjects
I'd say Anki
I'm utter shit at math, so I got one of those apps for kids from Kahoot that teaches you algebra starting with symbols instead of numbers, which was helpful until I reached the level where they started switching some of the symbols to numbers and letters, and it got way too confusing again.
numbers and letters are symbols
I would say reading books. It's a long form activity that is a strong counter to the brain rot of scrolling and being mindlessly entertained by 100 different things for 10 seconds each. I find that when I read I have more vivid dreams which I think is definitely a sign that my brain has been fired up.
Tetris. IIRC there are some very positive studies backing it. There is even something called the "Tetris Effect" (not the game).
I don't know if Brain Age has any legitimate scientific value but it sure as heck is fun. Don't buy the switch version though, that one sucks.
Pretty sure it's based on research, but it's possible it's been discredited.
Brilliant.org, app has same name. There's discount codes available.
Almost all lack generalizability to everyday life with the skills they purport to target and improve. In other words, you may get better with your, say, reaction time in the actual “game” but that doesn’t mean you’ll experience a transfer effect in your reaction speed globally in day to day life.