This January, the entire Lumosity team resolved to stay healthy—and to share our knowledge with you! To help with our mission, we teamed up with Dr. Cynthia R. Green, one of America’s foremost memory fitness and brain health experts.

For the past two weeks we’ve been sharing tips from Dr. Green’s newest book, 30 Days to Total Brain Health. We posted daily tips with fans and followers on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+, and I participated along with everyone, tip for tip!

It’s been a great two weeks sharing successes and struggles, and we wanted to make sure no one missed out. Here’s a roundup that includes everything I learned during my personal brain health journey. If you have yet to try out these simple tips, try incorporating them into your routine for a fitter, healthier brain. It takes just minutes a day.

Tip #1: Get physical

We all know exercise is important to physical health, but research shows that 30 mins of exercise several times a week can also improve memory, attention, processing speed, and executive control. Plus, exercise can help you manage other medical conditions, such as diabetes and hypertension, which can lead to dementia.

Hallie’s notes: Over the past two weeks, I’ve upped my gym workouts from around once a week to three times a week. I even left the car at home and rode my bike whenever I could. Regular exercise always makes me feel better, and it’s great to know I’m giving my brain a little TLC too.

Tip #2: Play online

Research shows that we can better maintain cognitive skills like attention, speed, executive control and memory (all of which can change as we age) by giving them a good “work out.”

Hallie’s notes: Every Lumosity subscriber knows the alert, ready to take on the day feeling you get after completing a daily training session, so for us this is a no brainer. I like to complete my daily session right when I get to work in the morning. It’s better than coffee!

Tip #3: Tap a tune

Make up a little tune by tapping your fingers on your table or desktop. It doesn’t matter if your tune is simple or complex; either way, it’ll challenge your brain to think about the world in a slightly different way. It forces you to coordinate your movement, auditory and memory skills.

Hallie’s notes: This tip has been our most popular so far! I suspect it’s because tapping out a tune is something we all enjoy and do anyway. Even at the risk of driving our coworkers crazy. I spend around an hour on public transportation comuting each day, and that’s my favorite time to tap a tune.

Tip #4: Learn about memory loss

Have questions (or fears) about changes in your memory? Here’s your chance to find some answers. The Alzheimer’s Association is a great place to discover information about memory health. Their website covers everything from age-related memory changes to early symptoms of memory loss (as well as the how’s and why’s of evaluating your memory).

Hallie’s note: It’s easy to go overboard with anxiety every time you loose your keys, especially if you have a history of Alzheimer’s in your family. I looked up the 10 warning signs of Alzheimer’s on the Alzheimer’s Association page, and was relieved to find that I have none.

Tip #5: Do a word search

For each of the five words below, see how many other words you can come up using any (or all) of the same letters. This word search game will shift your usual way of thinking, and give your brain a boost with some nimble thinking. For an extra challenge, give yourself just 2 minutes per word.

RESOLUTION   SUFFICIENT   BENEFICENCE   SYNAPSE   PROPAGATION

Hallie’s notes: This was another popular tip, and I found it both challenging and fun! I started by limiting myself to two minutes per word but found myself going back over the course of the day to add more. This tip is great because all you need are a couple long words, a pen, and some paper. Then you’re ready for a brain boost!

Tip #6: Check your blood pressure

High blood pressure (hypertension) can dramatically increase your risk of a stroke. Strokes can seriously injure the brain, and are the leading cause of disability in the U.S. You can get your blood pressure checked at most pharmacies. If your blood pressure is high, followup with your doctor. Simple changes in diet and exercise can reduce hypertension and your risk of stroke!

Hallie’s notes: I’m lucky because I’ve always had low blood pressure. This week I had it checked at the pharmacy by Lumosity HQ and was happy to see it’s still a low to normal 112/65.

Tip #7: Color your life

If you haven’t drawn a picture since you left elementary school, today’s the day! Even if they’re done only briefly, new or different activities like coloring refresh our attention, get us to try new (or rarely used) skills, and challenge us to see the world in a different way.

Hallie’s notes: Though I got some pretty funny looks from the rest of the Lumosity team while I was working on this tip, I really enjoyed drawing my picture. If you start to feel silly pulling out the markers or crayons and doodling, remember that it’s for your brain!

For more brain health tips, visit Dr. Green’s website totalbrainhealth.com. We’d love to hear about your experiences in the comments. What tips to you already do, which do you want to start doing, and which sound the most fun to you?

Lumosity’s games are more than fun. They’re scientifically designed to take advantage of the brain’s innate neuroplasticity—its ability to reshape neural connections when faced with new and challenging experiences. Effective cognitive exercises must be both adaptive and novel in order to provide the brain with the challenges it needs.

Adaptivity

Each person brings strengths and weaknesses to a new task. Thus, an exercise’s difficulty must be set to an appropriate level: challenging without being discouraging. And as you improve, the challenge must adapt with you.

This response to challenge is a central component of how the nervous system operates. The most effective learning processes shape the brain’s response properties progressively and adaptively, changing each task in a way that optimizes training intensity and improvement.

Lumosity leverages cutting-edge algorithms that adjust task difficulty to individuals on a moment-to-moment basis—one of the key innovations in cognitive training.

Novelty

Effective cognitive training involves novel challenges. Many of the mental exercises traditionally thought to address brain health (like crossword puzzles and bridge) are over-learned tasks. They don’t force the brain to operate in new ways.

The right kind of cognitive training introduces novel tasks that force the brain to process information in new ways. Lumosity, for example, creates varied training sessions with multiple games; each game may also have multiple levels of difficulty. The brain actually remodels itself to tackle new tasks, stimulating the growth of new circuitry.

This year, stimulate your neurons with a diet of challenging, novel tasks. Don’t worry if training seems difficult at times. It’s perfectly normal to feel challenged—and it’s good for you. If you feel like challenging your brain at the next level, consider playing some of the games on Lumosity today. There are even advanced versions of old favorites, such as Brain Shift Overdrive and Memory Match Overload. Your brain will thrive on the challenge!

The study was designed and conducted by clinical psychologist Maurice Finn, and involved 16 participants who completed 30 sessions of Lumosity training over the course of 8-10 weeks. Another group of participants served as controls and received regular treatment without cognitive training.

The assessment of transfer used in this study was Rapid Visual Presentation, a visual attention test from the Cambridge Automated Neuropyschological Test Battery (CANTAB). Finn’s evaluation of the results was promising:

“The results were very positive, with all participants recording significant improvements on all tasks they practiced during the training,” said Finn. “Importantly, the training also resulted in improvements on a task that participants had not practiced, that being fast, accurate performance on a measure of visual sustained attention. This is important as it means the brain has become more efficient at processing information.”

Mild cognitive impairment, which is associated with an increased risk of dementia, creates difficulties with recall, information processing, and planning. MCI is diagnosed when cognitive changes are more severe than expected in the normal course of aging.

These results are preliminary, and more research needs to be conducted to determine the full potential for using cognitive training as a treatment for mild cognitive impairment. This is a particularly encouraging result because researchers had previously questioned whether cognition could be improved in patients with mild cognitive impairment.

Lumosity continues to research all the positive outcomes of training. Why not try some training today to see the results for yourself?

Here at Lumosity we’re deeply interested in the real-world applications of cognitive training, and we often hear from users who wonder whether cognitive training may improve their performance on the job. So far, there are just a few examples of cognitive interventions targeted to improve job performance.

One example is a 2008 study published in Disability and Rehabilitation by Wagner et al. of the Johannes-Gutenburg University in Germany. In Wagner’s study a group of middle-aged employees with mild cognitive impairment underwent a cognitive-training program targeted to improve memory performance. Following the intervention, this group’s memory performance improved significantly compared to the control group. Additionally, the experimental group reported improved work-related attitudes. Wagner’s training program differs significantly from the computerized cognitive exercises you’ll find on Lumosity.com: it involved group training at a test center in addition to at-home exercises, and also included training on memory strategies.

Considering these differences, how might the cognitive training on Lumosity.com be useful for workplace performance? Multiple studies have found Lumosity training to be effective in improving core cognitive capacities such as working memory and attention. Proficiency in these crucial functions has been correlated to manager ratings of workplace performance; for example, a 2007 study from Harvard psychologist Daniel Higgins published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology found that scores on tests of prefrontal cognitive functions like working memory were highly predictive of workplace performance in positions that require higher-order thinking.

So if a new job or promotion is on your wish list for 2012, why not put in some training time with popular working memory exercises like Memory Matrix or Playing Koi? And if you’ve found that Lumosity has given you a boost in your job search or workplace performance, comment and tell us your story!

The chart below shows the average Brain Performance Index (BPI) for users as a function of the number of Lumosity games played, up to 1000 total games. BPI is Lumosity’s version of IQ — it measures your ability to handle the speed, memory, attention, problem solving, and flexibility challenges on Lumosity. On average, users who played at least 1000 games saw their BPIs more than double — the equivalent of moving from the 25th percentile to the 75th percentile. Furthermore, this holds true for people of every age and starting ability. Everyone can improve with sufficient training!

As is often the case, however, looking at average curves obscures some individual differences. The above curves seem to indicate that every time you play a game, your performance will be a little bit better. Anyone who’s ever spent time trying to improve any ability — whether it be memory, a foreign language, or even dancing — knows that progress is not so smooth. There are often periods of seemingly little progress followed by abrupt breakthroughs of improved ability. Examination of many individual improvement curves reinforces this intuition. While average performance appears smooth, individual performance often appears to plateau and then rapidly improve.

This pattern of spikes and plateaus is apparent in my own BPI history. The chart below shows my BPI over the past 50 games:

As you can see, there are strings of many games where my BPI is stable or even declines. This is followed by rapid gains with performance stabilizing at a new plateau.

Neurologically, there are changes going on throughout this training period — however, these changes appear in behavior only intermittently. The reasons for this, at a neural level, are complex and somewhat poorly understood. It’s important to realize that these plateaus are perfectly normal. If you feel that you are stuck at a certain level, don’t give up! Your brain is working away at improving, even if it doesn’t translate into obvious gains immediately.

Keep training and working on your own BPI. You’ll improve a little bit day by day, even when you don’t notice the changes.

At the core, Lumosity is about giving you the ability to be a  better you. The key to completing large life goals is having the willpower and the skills to do so. Luckily, there is evidence to suggest that willpower may also be trainable.

We recently discussed a study from Psychological Science that demonstrated how daily brain training can help strengthen willpower and promote healthy lifestyle choices. Researchers from the University of Amsterdam studied a group of problem drinkers who had trouble controlling their automatic impulse to drink alcohol. Researchers hypothesized that boosting cognitive functions such as working memory, which is important for maintaining and manipulating information about future goals, could indirectly help alcoholics control their impulses and drink less.

To test this theory, researchers split participants into two groups. The training group completed 25 daily sessions of a challenging working memory training regimen that involved exercises similar to Lumosity games such as Memory Matrix and Monster Garden. Participants in the control group also completed daily working memory tasks, but they only played the easiest level of each task. The results showed that the training group improved their memory capacity and also drank less alcohol than those in the control group. Moreover, the improvements were enduring: one month later, training participants who had played challenging games still had lower drinking rates than the control group.

This study shows that challenging cognitive training can help people control their impulses and make healthier choices, which is certainly promising, though not conclusive. While it’s too early to make wide-reaching generalization, further research may determine whether similar cognitive training can lead to improvements in other domains of life that require willpower and self-control. New studies, for example, might investigate whether brain training can help people stick to their diets or save more money for retirement.

This exciting new evidence suggests that completing daily brain training exercises like those on Lumosity may contribute to other surprising lifestyle benefits—training may help you make overall smarter choices that keep the rest of your body healthy. Here are some suggestions for incorporating Lumosity training into your goals:

Make a regular schedule for training

Not only is regular training (once every 1-2 days) more effective according to our data, but a schedule will also help you get accustomed to sticking to larger goals and improving a little at a time.

Combine your goals

Do you want to lose weight? Consider physical health and mental health as part of the same regimen; many members report doing Lumosity before or after a gym workout, for example. Think of creative ways to combine your other goals.

Try taking charge of your future in 2012! Commit to Lumosity training or any other type of goal and you’ll be rewarded by long-term results.

This past year has been one of many successes for Lumosity and for cognitive training in general. We’ve had papers published and taken part in the first ever ESCoNS (Entertainment Software and Cognitive Neurotherapeutics Society) conference. Our network of 190+ research collaborators and in-house scientists have discovered that Lumosity training can positively impact  groups as diverse as normal, healthy adults, children recovering from cancer, students worldwide, and people struggling with emotional problems.

So in 2012, resolve to be a brighter you—everything we learned in 2011 suggests that it’s more than possible. Consider adopting one of the resolutions below:

“I resolve to be faster and smarter this year”

Solution: Lumosity can increase visual attention and working memory. In a 2011 study published in Mensa Journal, participants who did Lumosity training 20 minutes a day for 5 weeks did better than a control group in tests of attention and memory (by 20% and 10%, respectively). What’s more, participants’ performance on assessments unrelated to the training exercises showed that Lumosity training transfers to real-life abilities.

The takeaway: train to see real-world cognitive benefits. Train regularly to make them stick!

“I resolve to stick to my resolutions and resist temptations this year”

Solution: Daily brain training can strengthen willpower and promote healthy lifestyle choices. A Psychological Science study from the University of Amsterdam found that problem drinkers who followed challenging cognitive training regimens drank less alcohol than a control group who did only the easiest training. Morever, the improvements were enduring: one month later after the study, the trained participants still had lower drinking rates. It’s important to note the distinction between games that challenged participants and games that did not. More study is required to truly see if cognitive training can benefit other resolutions, but it’s a promising start.

The takeaway: challenge yourself with advanced versions of our exercises—such as Memory Lane and Brain Shift Overdrive—and your willpower may get a boost.

“I resolve to be more confident and less stressed this year”

Solution: Cognitive training can enhance emotional regulation. It’s not always about pure intelligence; Dr. Annett Gyurak of the University of California, Berkeley found that cognitive training (Lumosity and otherwise) could target the skills necessary for emotional well-being. Dr. Gyurak used cognitive training regimens to target executive function, which is involved in planning and impulse control. Pre- and post-tests revealed that participants who underwent training felt reduced anxiety in depression—this included both healthy adults and those suffering from Generalized Anxiety Disorder/Major Depressive Disorder. Those same patients also increased beneficial emotional processing. Though it’s too early to determine the full effects, the link between emotional well-being and Lumosity training is promising so far.

The takeaway: a smarter brain can also mean a more confident happier one, at least when you train executive function.

“I resolve to make big strides in my career this year”

Solution: Working memory is correlated with high job performance. According to Harvard psychologist Daniel Higgens, prefrontal cognitive ability correlated with the performance ratings that managers received from their supervisors. Working memory is just one prefrontal ability that is easily trained—and its connection with performance comes as no surprise, when you consider working memory’s role in storing memory and making decisions.

The takeaway: work out your brain in your free time, and you might see your job performance rise.

The number of ways in which Lumosity benefits transfer to real life continues to grow and surprise us!  We look forward to a 2012 filled with new studies and research breakthroughs.

How do you resolve to do better this year? Respond with one of the popular resolutions listed above, or tell us what you hope to achieve. Check back—this whole month, we’ll continue to present new in-depth research about resolutions and life improvements due to Lumosity training.

Hours of research and development go into creating the exercises on Lumosity, and still more into making groundbreaking scientific discoveries that impact areas beyond cognitive training. The process is always ongoing. Here’s a behind-the-microscope peek at the scientific underpinnings of some Lumosity-related research.

By the Numbers

• 190+ researchers
• From 6 continents
• 1000s of human subjects
  (not counting the 16 million on Lumosity.com)
• Collaborations with the top 5 neuroscience programs in the US
• 6+ years of research

How Do We Choose Collaborators?

The majority of collaborators reach out to us first. This usually happens in one of two ways: scientists discover Lumosity through posters that we present at science conferences, or they simply learn about us online. Lumos Labs researchers carefully screen collaboration requests.

Research collaborations are just another incentive for us to grow even more. As we—and our members—spread the word about Lumosity, we attract more research opportunities.

Who Are Our Collaborators?

At the moment, Lumos has 190+ active research collaborators. They hail from institutions such as Harvard, UCSF, Stanford, Columbia, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, University College London, and more.

What Can Our Collaborators Do?

Almost anything they want. Collaborators are given a number of Lumosity subscriptions for research; how those subscriptions are used varies greatly. Lumosity’s cognitive training platform has been employed in studies that range from cancer recovery in children to emotional regulation. Here are just a few recent collaborator projects:

Finn and McDonald, U. of New South Wales
Topic: visual attention and cognitive training

Jaeggi et al., University of Michigan
Topic: Improving fluid intelligence with working memory training
Published in PNAS

Kesler, et al., Stanford University
Topic: Cognitive rehabilitation for children with cancer-related brain injuries
Published in Brain Injury

Kesler et al., Stanford University
Topic: Enhancement of math performance in individuals with Turner’s Syndrome
Published in Neuropsychological Rehabilitation 

Hardy, et al., Lumos Labs
Top: Improvements in working memory, attention, and executive function with Lumosity training
Published in Mensa

Gyurak, et al., University of California, Berkeley
Topic: Emotional regulation and Lumosity training
Presented at ESCoNS 2011

While many of these researchers have their work published or presented outside of our site, you can easily access The Science Behind Lumosity for an overview of the full spectrum of evidence supporting Lumosity training.

Our collaborations are just one part of the consolidated research effort at Lumosity. With our data, we constantly strive to make the best possible cognitive training program that addresses anything from serious medical conditions to success in one’s career. Try training with some of our cutting-edge exercises today!

Sometime later—it could be weeks, days, or even just minutes—you run into that person again. And even though you might vividly remember that first meeting—who introduced you, what clothes were worn, what was spoken about—you just can’t seem to remember that name. If this embarrassing situation is something you can relate to, don’t think you’re alone: people of all ages can have difficulty remembering names, though these deficits tend to increase with age.

Fortunately, multiple studies have found that face-name recall can be improved following cognitive interventions. For example, a 1990 study published in Developmental Psychology found that older adults were able to significantly increase their ability to remember face-name pairs following a training regimen. If you’d like to improve your face-name recall in time for the holiday season, here are some tips to get you started:

Repeat names after hearing them

Active recall—writing out a word or phrase you want to remember, or answering it in response to a question—is a well-known strategy for memorization. For example, if you have a photo of the person whose name you want to remember, try writing his or her name on the back and quizzing yourself. You can also write out questions for each person you met, e.g. “I met this person who works in accounting and has brown hair at the company party.” Quiz yourself periodically.

Pay attention during introductions

When your attention is divided between different tasks and stimuli, it’s more challenging to remember a piece of new information like a name. Try to take a moment to shake off other distractions and focus on the person you’re meeting during an introduction.

Train with face-name recall exercises

Lumosity has two engaging games that you can use to exercise your face-name recall abilities. In Familiar Faces, you play a waiter taking orders at a series of bustling restaurants. You’ll need to remember customer’s name to keep them happy and get a larger tip. In Name Tag, you’ll need to remember which names match which faces and connect each name tag to its accompanying photo.

These games give you a great memory workout whether or not you’re keen on improving your face-name recall abilities in particular. Why not try them now?

Why You Play: Share Your Story, Enter Our Contest

Seize this new year as a new opportunity to ask yourself why you play Lumosity. Participate in our “Why I Play” contest and you could win great prizes. Contest starts December 26th and ends January 13th, so act now.

Why do you play?

Elise M.

“I was in medical school and fell into a deep depression following some academic setbacks. When I got my subscription to Lumosity, I could barely get through any of the lessons. At the end of the semester, my improvement graph showed an exponential growth curve. I did well on my finals, felt better about myself, and am back on track academically. Lumosity helped me regain focus and get my mind working again. I can study longer and retain more information. I still look forward to my daily training.”

Matthew V.

“I’m from Hungary. Last summer I decided that I will travel to the USA. My goals with my journey are mainly to learn the language, visit the more famous sites, meet people, and fit into the society. It is not easy, if you want to do your best, and reach your all goals. I downloaded the Lumosity app. After I started to take some courses on my device, I visited Lumosity.com too. IT CHANGED MY LIFE. For example, on my journey I met a lot of new people. It was so hard to remember all the names, but now it is much more easier. I’m not really good at with languages, and I learned words with difficulty. Now I understand English much better, I can speak better, and I can use many more words because I can remember more easily. Lumosity training makes me organize my day more effectively. Thank you so much! I’m so happy to find it.”

Jeff S.

“I wanted to write you to tell you how your website and program have helped me in my thinking speed, concentration, focus, and memory. I am a financial trader who sits in front of 6 computer screens trying to find opportunities to earn a living. The ability to make quick decisions and react is crucial to catching or missing a move in today’s fast-moving financial markets. For a trader to be successful against complicated algorithms and micro-second calculations requires an extremely high level of focus and reactiveness. Since discovering Lumosity, I have seen my performance grow exponentially. Not only am I able to react and make decisions quicker, but I am making fewer errors and am able to focus much longer on my markets, charts, and reports. The confidence that comes from an increased level of trust in my abilities has been the difference in reaching a new level in my trading.”

Robert J.

“I’ve always subscribed to Henry Drummond’s statement that ‘unless a man undertakes more than he possibly can do, he will never do all he can do.’ After only three sessions of Lumosity training, I can see how it will definitely help me do more than I ever thought I could. Each session leaves my head buzzing with awareness and a little zapped. I’m pleased with the program and have just subscribed to the Lumosity Family Plan so I can share the benefits of Lumosity training with 4 of my family and friends.”

Andrew Y.

“As a music educator fresh out of college, I want to be the most knowledgeable resource for my students. However, memorizing the hundreds of musical definitions, names of students and parents, and musical scores was something I used to struggle with until I came across Lumosity. About a month or two into the training regimens, I noticed differences in my overall brain performance and ability to recall seemingly minor details. I continue to improve in every area of my life thanks in part to the wonderful service that Lumosity provides its customers eager to better themselves. Lumosity allows me to improve upon the work I have already completed and help me become the very best I can as I begin a career in the area of music education. Finally, doing this for my students is very important to me, and I believe that Lumosity can help.“

Cathy B.

“I was studying  full time when I got struck by a virus which left me using less of my brain than normal. Despite knowing I had a brain impairment through knocking into objects around the house, and experiencing short term memory blanks in conversation, I was unable to do anything about it until I found Lumosity. I have been able to rewire brain circuitry. When I first looked at the brain profile my BPI was low and I saw that all my brain resources were diverted to memory and problem solving. Scores for speed, attention and flexibility were very low. Within 5 weeks of using Lumosity daily, and perhaps 3 additional sessions of targeting certain areas, I have all brain areas improved.

The impact on my life has been huge. I no longer have bruises from bumping into things. The Raindrops game has rewired number character recognition again, which has helped enormously in dialing numbers on the telephone! Word Bubbles has helped word memory recall during conversations, which gives me confidence to pick up the telephone and talk with friends again and will be key to me succeeding in interviews. Face recogition games have helped me to remember peoples’ names. I have a way to go to recover my full capability and Lumosity gives me the confidence to know that I can achieve that (and exceed it). I look forward to doing Lumosity first thing in the morning and note my brain profile score daily to provide an historical view. I also enjoy using the statistics held on the Lumosity site to provide me with the evidence of progress I need to motivate me to get better.”

Stephen F.

“I am a classical pianist, composer and director of the Seattle Harmonic Voices, a specialized choir that focuses on overtone singing. It has been nearly a year since I first signed up on a monthly plan. I wasn’t sure what to expect, except to have some fun. I have had an enormous amount of fun but also an enormous amount of improvement both in the games I love to play and in the challenges I face in real life. After a month I noticed I had gotten quite a bit better and started to surprise myself. I also noticed that after many ups and downs in my scores, when averaged together, there was always a steady upward trend in my BPI. This record of quantifiable improvement was proof that the exercises, and my commitment to them, were working at improving my cognitive abilities.

I started to think more seriously about what was going on when… I noticed a sharp improvement in my strength and agility while playing the piano. It had just somehow become much easier to execute difficult passages and I had much less trouble with memory lapses and my sight reading improved. I could also incorporate new ideas into improvisation much faster. I had not changed a thing in my practicing regimen at the piano in any way. I was not expecting to experience an improvement in my piano playing but I did—not just an improvement in processing the mental challenges but an improvement in fluid dexterity. I wondered about this possible connection when I started having a similar experience at playing Lumosity that I had while playing the piano i.e. experiencing the wide open mental flow that develops when engaged with challenging physical and mental tasks in a rhythmic way. This leads to a kind of ecstatic experience in which I am able play piano as if my fingers were playing themselves. I think this is amazing! I now have a yearly membership. Here’s to shattering the old world view! I can thank you enough!”