Brain Games Don't Make You Smarter In Old Age, But These 3 Things Do

We're living in an aging nation where the older population is dramatically growing at an unprecedented rate. With aging comes the need to keep our memory sharp to maintain our quality of life. Researchers at Florida State University suggest trendy brain games for adults do little to improve memory, or stave off cognitive decline and disorders. "Our findings and previous studies confirm there's very little evidence these types of games can improve your life in a meaningful way," said Wally Boot, study author and associate professor of psychology at FSU, in a statement. Cognitive training, popularly known as "brain training," has been touted for its claims of improving cognitive abilities such as working memory, reasoning and processing speed. Brain-training companies like Lumosity, Cogmed, and Brain HQ promise to make us smarter, but Boot and his colleagues have found there is no solid scientific evidence to back up this promise.