You’re better off meeting friends for a coffee than subscribing to brain training apps, an Australian neuropsychologist says.
So-called 'brain training' apps are actually doing very little for cognitive function, Hannah Korrel says.
As a neuropsychologist, people often consult her with concerns about their memory, many anxious to build a cognitive buffer, she says.
Photo: Natasha Connell/Unsplash
“Just like we work our bodies out, some people believe we can work our brains out to get a nice big cognitive reserve, which is the buffer that stops us from developing things like dementia.
“And there are ways that you can build a big cognitive reserve in your brain.”
Because of this widespread concern, business has seen a market and started to create brain training apps, she tells Jesse Mulligan.
“What the research has told us is that the training that you do in those games does not generalise to real life.”
While the games give feedback showing improvements that are often dramatic, all this means is that you're improving at the game itself, she says.
“These brain training apps may not actually give you the returns that you think that you're paying for.
“You're just getting faster or better at it. That's different to constantly challenging your brain with new challenges and situations.”
Playing these games is perfectly fine for recreation, she says, but it's more useful to follow evidence-based strategies.
You can do that brain training for free and make a better job of it, she says.
“There are things you can do that actually work and have been correlated in the literature with a reduction in your risk of dementia later in life.
Activities like socialising and learning something new will increase neuroplasticity, she says.
Clinical Neuropsychologist and Registered Psychologist Dr Hannah Korrel Photo: hannahkorrel.com
“So that means going out, seeing your friends going to the coffee, going to lunch.
“What tends to happen as we get older, we become home bodies, we stay at home more, we don't go out as much. And it's actually a neuro-stimulation to go out and see people because you can never predict what's going to happen in a new social situation.
“So, it keeps your brain on its toes. And it makes you develop neuroplasticity and keeps your brain firing, essentially.”
Taking up new activities of any kind will help keep your grey matter engaged, she says.
“That might be learning watercolour, it might be learning salsa, or learning a new language or learning a new board game with your family.
“It's just about stimulating your brain to learn something new.”
