The more you like to do something the more you’ll do it. That’s the theory behind making brain training systems that are a lot of fun, and seem like you’re playing a video game rather than workout our your cerebral cortex.
Does Training Your Brain Really Work?
Recently scientists are discovering that your brain can actually learn new things later in life and that you can undo old ways of thinking. You can strengthen new brain synapses, and get old ones to atrophy if you just start using them again. It’s referred to as neuroplasticity, it the plasticity part means that the brain is mold-able, that it’s not fixated and stuck a certain way. For a long time it was believed that your brain just is the way it is, and that you’ll just think the way you do your entire life.
That’s where sayings like you can’t teach an old dog new tricks come from. It’s the thought that your brain was unchangeable, and there wasn’t much you could do to make it any better. But with these new findings, it’s more important than ever to keep your brain active and engaged, every day. If you don’t get that sort of stimulation from the work that you do, and let’s face it, how many of us really do, you will want to add brain training to your daily to-do list.
We’ve gone through some of the more popular brain training products and websites out there and sized them up according to what sort of results you can expect. Keep in mind that there is no one right answer here, as each brain functions a little differently. If there is a product that speaks to you that didn’t make the grade with us, you should still try it out, as it might gel with your learning type.
Brainetics Recap
Brainetics is a pretty well-known product because they’ve run a successful ad campaign touting its benefits. We looked into the claims it makes, specifically at how good it is at increasing the memory and helping with math skills. These are two areas that can greatly benefit younger kids, as well as adults.
What we found were a large number of positive reviews from real people that had tried it out. This is something that is worth the time invested, and worth giving to your kids to try to give them a leg up in school, and beyond. It gets our Thumbs Up, and you should try it as a solid brain training program.
See our full review on Brainetics
Posit Science Brain Fitness Program Recap
They say that Posit Science was designed by top scientists to help your brain think faster and better, and for the price they’re charging it had better deliver some results. It’s broken down into both an auditory and visual training sections, so you’re getting a well rounded system.
The overall verdict was that you should try it, but only if you are going to take it seriously and get into it. If you don’t give this your full attention and just want something that is more lighthearted and fun, there are better choices.
See our full review on the Posit Science Brain Fitness Program
Lumosity Recap
You have probably seen a Lumosity ad online, or even on TV. They advertise heavily for it, and once you get to their website, it’s actually a pretty fun place. The brain training is not very intense, it’s mostly a series of games designed to keep your mental skills sharp. It tracks your progress and gives you feedback on how you’re doing.
It’s free to sign up, and that part we recommend. Whether or not you want to delve deeper into it with a paid membership is of course up to you. The free games they let you play will give you a good idea of what to expect on the inside.
See our full review on Lumosity
Brain Age Recap
Brain Age is a game for the Nintendo DS, and consists of a suite of games that are all meant to challenge a different part of your brain. The whole thing comes together through a series of graphs and tests that let you know if you’re improving or not. They give your brain an “age” and with enough training you are expected to lower that age, signaling that you are keeping your mind fresh.
The games are fun enough to keep you coming back, but if you don’t already have a DS, this might not be worth buying one to use.
See our full review of Brain Age
Millionaire Memory Recap
Millionaire Memory insists that if you just improve your memory enough, the money will follow. It’s easy to see that having a better memory will allow you to be more successful in many aspects of your life. But a list of the billionaires in the world is not full of a bunch of guys with great memories. Improving your memory is a good thing, but it takes something more to make money with it.
You can still use this for tips on how to remember people’s names, and how to remember what you read the first time.
See our full review of Millionaire Memory
Miracle Mind Method Recap
This isn’t so much brain training as it is a way to change your mentality so that you can start to get what you want. Changing the way you think is very similar to training your brain, and this system promises that you’ll be able to unlock all of the things you want, sort of like The Secret. It’s nice to think that the only reason you don’t have everything you want is because you think the wrong way, and by just changing your thinking you’ll start to get things one by one.
But can a program like this really be all that you need to accomplish this feat?
See our full review of the Miracle Mind Method
ZOX Pro Training Recap
ZOX says that if you follow their techniques you will be on your way to unlocking your genius potential. Through a series of brain training exercises they have for you, you are supposed to start becoming nearly superhuman, being able to take photographs of pages in a book and comprehending them instantly.
It sounds far fetched, and like the stuff they make movies out of, but being skeptical will only get you so far in life. We looked more closely at this, to see what the training is actually like, and came to our own conclusions.
See our full review of ZOX Pro Training
Being Clear About What You Want
You should clearly define exactly what you want to accomplish by training your brain. Are you trying to keep it active to stave off degenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s? Are you trying to expand its capacity and learn how to be a math whiz? Are you trying to boost your memory, and be able to study or learn new things? Taking a page from The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, you should begin with the end in mind. Know where you want to go with this and it will help you make a better purchasing decision.
The Science Behind It All
These programs each claim to be devised in a way that is scientifically proven to work. Either they claim that it was developed by a neuroscientist, or that it uses proven methods for brain enhancement. At the end of the day you’re basically going to have to take their word for it, because there is no governing body that is going to go around checking to see how these programs were created. With some of the better ones, it is easy to see that they didn’t just dream this up. On some of the bad ones, you wonder why anyone would follow along for any extended length of time.
Becoming Superhuman
Some people might like the idea of training their brain to become more intelligent, or getting a photographic memory so you can store all sort of information, like the guy in the movie Limitless. We’d all like powers like that, but thinking that you’re going to get those kind of
Your Potential is Your Potential
Each of us was given our own unique abilities, and our own potential. You shouldn’t compare yourself to the greatest thinkers of all time, the Da Vinci’s, the Einsteins, the Hawkings. But you should push yourself to reach the best of your own abilities. If you are not living the life you want, or you are seeing signs that your mental acuity is slipping, it’s time to take action and see if you can make an improvement in your life. All actions start in the mind with a thought, and if you can think better, it only follows that you will act better, and live better.
Even if following a brain fitness program only improves your brain slightly, isn’t that better than having no improvement at all? It might not seem like a big deal to be able to remember things better, but if it saves you time, and clears up the mental fog that many people live in, then you are separating yourself from the masses, and should start to receive things that most others don’t have. If you job requires you to be alert and on the ball, these sort of programs can only help you.
When it comes to training your brain, you have several different options, and you don’t have to go with one system alone. In fact, your brain will tire of the same old thing day after day, so a suite of different products is best. Start with one, and when you start to get bored with it, move to another. You can then use the two in tandem so you don’t get too much of one or the other. If you need to, you can always add a third down the road. Since most systems have a specific focus, it only makes sense to use a different brain fitness program for each goal you have.