No matter what your age or station, an ever-growing body of research shows that you always have a second chance to shine.
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.
About Pam Zhang
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