Brain Gyms
June 10, 2008
by
Liz Colville
Challenge and strengthen your brain with simple, free games and exercises on the Web.
As you age, you may notice that your memory and your reasoning faculties are no longer quite as sharp as they used to be. But just as people go to the gym to tone up their sagging flesh, many are now attempting to “exercise their brains” and tone up their mental functions, hoping to regain some of what was lost. A New York Times article mentions some affordable—and less affordable—software products and subscription Web sites that can transform the often mind-numbing computer and video game console into a treadmill for the brain.
Source: New York Times
Toning up your memory may also have positive effects on other cognitive functions. Recent studies on “working memory,” which is what you use to memorize lists or understand complicated sentences, indicate that tests and exercises to improve the function also improve so-called “fluid intelligence,” used in abstract reasoning and puzzle solving.
Source: findingDulcinea
Brain Gyms
The Times article mentions Lumosity, a well-received site which launched in 2007 and purports to “improve memory and attention.” After a free 7-day trial, the monthly subscription fee is $9.95. Lumosity divides up its exercises into four categories: attention, memory, processing speed and cognitive control. The games, such as “birdwatching,” which tests attention, are unique and entertaining, using great graphics and a sophisticated set of rules. Lumosity suggests that each game be played in five-minute sessions a few dozen times.
Source: Lumosity
Happy Neuron is another high-profile brain exercise site with a free 7-day trial (although it does ask for credit card information at the time of trial signup). Happy Neuron also has a “Coach” section that tracks your progress in charts and graphs that can be viewed on the site. Happy Neuron compares brain exercise with physical exercising, claiming that “‘Use it or lose it’ applies to muscles in our bodies as well as to neural pathways and connections in our brains.”
Source: Happy Neuron
For more freebies, head to Braingle, which has no subscription fee, but is not as comprehensive as the sites mentioned above. The site has flashcards, IQ tests, vocabulary builders, and a set of articles on topics like stress, memory, and creativity.
Source: Braingle
HeadStrong calls itself a “brain gym” and “brain trainer.” Well designed and professional looking, the site provides Q&A with doctors associated with HeadStrong, and offers a free 10-day trial. The site’s exercises provide practice naming faces, memorizing signs and directions, concentration, adding and subtracting, and more.
Source: HeadStrong
Mental Workouts
Short-term memory helps you remember numbers, names and locations. How good is your short-term memory? Braingle’s “Number Test,” asks you to memorize a series of numbers in 10 seconds. The number of digits in each series will continue to increase as long as you can take it. Keeping your short-term memory sharp allows you to keep track of long (and important) sets of numbers, such as phone, bank account, and credit card numbers.
Source: Braingle “Number Test”
Language use has a powerful effect on the brain. Memorizing a poem a day, as a HeadStrong.com specialist recommends, or returning to a foreign language you learned in college or high school, can vastly improve cognitive skills, vocabulary, and memory. Use free language resources like FriendsAbroad, which is a language-learning resource and social network rolled into one, or My Happy Planet, which lets you practice a language with native speakers for free. The site also has a lessons section and videos. If you prefer to learn by listening, try Before You Know It, which has free MP3 downloads of language lessons in more than 60 languages.
To start memorizing poems, sign up for the Academy of American Poets’ Poem-a-Day newsletter, or just browse the newsletter’s archives for poem fodder.
To start memorizing poems, sign up for the Academy of American Poets’ Poem-a-Day newsletter, or just browse the newsletter’s archives for poem fodder.
Learning geography is another fun and useful way to improve memory—and it will no doubt impress friends and colleagues if you can name the capital of Burundi (Bujumbura). Lizardpoint has simple geography quizzes about continents, countries, cities and states. Just click on the map to give your answers. Click the “Help” button on any quiz to see all the answers revealed.
Source: LizardPoint
© 2009 Dulcinea Media, Inc.
