I couldn’t help but notice the new TV advertisements for a service called “Lumosity,” a company that suggests you can “reclaim your brain” by simply playing their brain training games (at only $15/month). Sounds like fun!
It’s been a couple of years since I’ve written about these kinds of programs (more than once).
So I checked out Lumosity’s research backing to see if anything new has come down the pike to support the use of these kinds of cognitive games to help ordinary adults — not senior citizens or others suffering from mild cognitive impairment. In a nutshell, is there a solid research base to suggest that you can improve your brain’s fitness with these programs?
The answer should surprise no one.
Lumosity’s website has a navigation tag helpfully called “The Science,” suggesting that, well, there’s some “science” behind their service. This page helpfully lists “select” studies conducted on Lumosity. I would assume these are the most robust and “best” studies available to support its use (after all, why would you highlight your weakest studies?).
So how many of these studies are robust (e.g., with a large enough subject population that’s representative of the general population) and conducted on normal, healthy adults?
Zero.
Two offered the most hope as they were conducted on adults without cognitive or other health impairments. Jaeggi et al. (2008) ((http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2383929/)) was conducted on University of Bern (Switzerland) students. There’s a set of significant problems with college-based studies, if the research isn’t later replicated with other populations. This research hasn’t been, so this pilot study’s findings must be interpreted cautiously.
Hardy et al. (2011) ((http://static.sl.lumosity.com/pdf/hardy_drescher_sarkar_kellet_scanlon_2011.pdf)) had problems with its sample as well. It was self-selected (not randomized) and was very small in size — 23 subjects. It was published in a journal not known for publishing original, peer-reviewed research either (which can be a warning sign about the quality of the research, since researchers always try and publish in the most prestigious journal possible).
Finally, Gyurak et al. (2010) ((http://www.lumosity.com/pdf/Gyurak-et-al-2010-DEFD-training-emotions.pdf)) presented a poster at a professional conference (not quite the same as a peer-reviewed journal publication, but included by Lumosity here). Lumosity suggests this research found:
They found that participants who received Lumosity training had significantly enhanced self-esteem relative to a control group that did not receive training. In addition, the trained group had improved emotion regulation and reduced ruminative thinking.
Again, using community college students (not representative) and a relatively small sample size (26 subjects in total), the researchers did find some improvement in the self-esteem of people who used the training program. But was that improvement equal to “significantly enhanced self-esteem?”
The difference in the self-esteem score appears to be about a 3/4 of one point between the control group and the training group (3.0 versus 3.7 respectively). Is this significant in the real world, or just significant for data purposes? The measure used — the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale — generally wouldn’t consider a difference of 3/4 of a point in any way, shape or form clinically significant (scores on the scale range from 10 to 40). And without knowing the actual score means, we don’t know whether the people already had good self-esteem which improved slightly, or lousy self-esteem which was still lousy, but slightly less so.
The ruminative thinking score is not statistically (a 0.09 p value? Really?) nor clinically significant — meaning there was no real difference between the two groups on this measure.
"Your brain, just brighter.
Improve brain health and performance.
• Brain training produces real world benefits
• Enhance memory, attention and creativity"
Don’t get me wrong — I don’t object to these programs on their own. If you want to play a game in the belief that it may help improve your memory, go for it. Who knows, it may even be fun! (That’s why I and most people play a game like Words with Friends — for fun, not in any belief it’s making me a better person.)
What I object to is the implication that these games have sufficient research backing suggesting they work as the marketing materials claim.
Namely, that they can help ordinary, normal adults who have no memory or cognitive impairments get better at brain tasks. And — just as importantly — these brain tasks can then help people in their everyday lives with memorizing a person’s name, a street address, solve a complex life or work problem, or how to follow directions to a store.
Perhaps reasonable professionals and researchers can disagree about whether the research supports Lumosity’s suggestion you will see “dramatic improvements” in your memory and cognitive skills by playing their games.
But it’s my opinion that the data simply aren’t all there. They’re using the support of relatively weak scientific data — and its associated prestigious institutions such as Harvard and Stanford universities — to enhance their shine.
Snake oil is alive and well in 2012. The only difference is that instead of it coming in a bottle, it’s being delivered via your screen. For $15/month.
28 comments
I am not surprised there is no real evidence to support this kind of thing would be helpful. Still disappointing. I keep reading about neuroplasticity as it relates to mental illness, specifically depression. I’ve been battling all my life with depression & social anxiety & medications haven’t helped. Part of me is afraid that after 2 decades of messing around up there with my neurotransmitters, I might have ended up worse off.
If the brain’s wiring can’t be trained significantly by engaging in games geared to increasing memory, cognitive abilities, etc., it seems to me that it will be even harder to make any changes in my patterns of thought/neural pathways in order to ever feel better. And “exercises” for trying to retrain negative thinking are to me a lot harder & vague.
I guess all I am trying to say is that how do you tap into that neuroplasticity for emotions, if it doesn’t even work for something as simple as trying to improve one’s ability to say be more observant or better at using logic?
I don’t even know if I am making sense. Hopefully someone out there understands what I am getting at.
(receding back into the mental fog)
Dr. Grohol, I must say that your article should be read by all of the 78 million baby boomers now turning 65 — at a rate of 10,000 new seniors every day in this country. As head of PsychCentral, your voice on this issue comes at a time when the so-called U.S. “Brain Fitness Industry” (commercial products, programs and supplements)is projected to soon reach $500 million in sales/yr.
My concern is not so much that younger generations are buying “the snake oil” with its “suggested scientific” claims, but that many of the present 40+ million seniors in this country are susceptible to such marketing “assurances” in place of authoritative, independent research. In this country we do such a poor job of regulating the commercial brain health claims.
In our retirement community of Green Valley, Arizona our educational programs are being focused on senior brain consumer education. Our Senior Brain Education Network is enlightening those in our retirement community with programs featuring university neuroscientists, psychologists and medical specialists. Over 800 of our seniors have attended two major programs in the past several years. We created this local Network so more seniors learn enough about brain health science to make more informed decisions given the mushrooming commercial marketing boom. Alzheimer’s is a widespread epidemic among those who live in retirement communities. Many more seniors could access far more basic brain health information to help make educated consumer decisions about improving or maintaining the inevitable age-related changes in brain processes.
The recently announced National Alzheimer’s Plan fails to adequately recognize our enormous public brain health education gap among those most at risk of Alzheimer’s. How many seniors have a basic understanding of the aging brain’s normal neurodegenerative processes that are common within our elderly population? Without a robust initiative to educate seniors to learn more about brain health through recognized academic and government sources, our uninformed elderly are prime targets for the commercial sector’s alure of simple, “wondrous solutions”.
Too many seniors fear even being evaluated professionally. They lack basic baseline information to help understand where they stand in terms of cognitive health status. Too few seniors know about independent brain health research on lifestyle changes that don’t cost a penny. Without more research being reported to our aging population, seniors will continue to seek “magical” commercial solutions, rather than becoming aware of what they can do for themselves to take control of maintaining brain health throughout later life.
Dear John,
Fantastic article. I couldn’t agree more. Here is an Op-Ed I wrote for the New York Times on this topic:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/06/opinion/sunday/iq-points-for-sale-cheap.html
Also, my colleagues and I have tried to replicate the Jaeggi et al. (2008) study, with no success. Our paper has been accepted for publication at the Journal of Experimental Psychology: General. Please contact me and I’ll be glad to send you a copy. My e-mail is [email protected].
Best Regards,
David Z. (Zach) Hambrick
Brain games are very important for improving brain memory. Many people reclaim their brain by playing brain training games. One must go with this!
I’m not sure if these games help or not, but I play the math games more often than not. After being out of school for 20 some years and not doing any type of math, I do see great improvement in that area. This was great trying to refresh my mental areas.Do the other games work as stated.I am not sure, And I’m really not sure if I will sign back up for a 3rd year, but saying this is snake oil. I’m not sure about that either. The famous saying is: use your brain or lose it. I really do think it brought my mind back in time a little bit.
Great post, snake oils always sells this is just XX and XXI century version. I believe that the only data on self administered activity that improves brain function is on aerobic physical exercise. It increases production of NGF (nerve growth factor) in the brain thus can lead to formation of new connections between brain cells.
All the negative info given on these articles has me wondering, have any of you tried it?
I know for sure, some of it works. You do have to keep it up or you slide back to where you were. I’m not a neurologist I’m just the average guy. I believe there is a problem when I read articles that say it shouldn’t work it can’t work because the studies say it can’t work. I know it positively does work. I think training anything will increase ability that’s a no brain er for me.
I can do math better faster,read faster my vocabulary is getting larger. It’s like doing crossword puzzles the more you do the better you get. It doesn’t do everything it says it will do but there is some major changes. All I can say is try it. It may not work for you because it’s geared for the average person. If your too smart for it then it’s not going to help. It would be like me trying to teach Bill Gates about computers.
All I can say guys is it works so I will happily pay for the service. My ability to remember names was abysmal now … vastly improved after only two months. Its a bit like taking supplements (Turmeric has relieves my gout when prescribed medicine was failing) that have not been proven by scientific studies. Most people recognised the risk but choose to dive in anyway to see if it helps.There are many examples of products claiming to help various maladies without the “science’ to back up these claims. It is up to the individual to discriminate with full knowledge of the risk.
I’m a licensed therapist in Boynton Beach Fl. I specialize in anxiety, PTSD using hypnosis, emdr and cbt. Lately I’ve been thinking about using the phrase training the brain. When self hypnosis and cbt are practiced it can for example train the Brain to go from dwelling into the moment. I thing it sounds better than psychotherapy.
That kind of training the brain is different than the site you mentioned. I agree training the brain is complex and not simply playing games.
The Gift That Keeps On Giving…For Lumosity
My Wife got a friend a gift on a 6 month subscription to Lumosity and put it on her credit car. 6 months later, Lumosity auto-rebilled the friend but on my wife’s credit car. The friend reported growing disinterested in Lumosity and said it didn’t help, so never went back to the site after a month.
Many months later, when we found out we’d be auto-billed for the friend, we contacted Lumosity, but they said “Sorry, but NO.” Not only did the training not work, we were fleeced in the process. Our brains have now been thoroughly trained – never to trust snake oil charlatans like Lumosity again.
I happened upon this fascinating assault on Lumosity when just searching around to see if it might be worth trying it out at a discounted price. The free games are entertaining exercises, but I’m a cheapskate that’s not quickly inclined to fork over money for things like this.
Also being a facts-based guy, the lack of in-depth scientific study is somewhat alarming. Yet then the author further substantiates his skepticism by saying playing word games is just good fun, implying implying there is no tangible cognitive value in playing games like Scrabble or Crosswords.
Whereas the presence of proof can prove, the absence of that proof doesn’t disprove. Alas, the search for reliable information continues. At least I can keep enjoying the free account.
I am not sure if any of these type of stuff works but i would have to say i am a disabled vet that just sits in bed all day watching t.v. and all the drugs they have me on for nerve pain really have messed up my memory. I know that going to school and studying to learn new things is meant to help your brain and day to day functions,as well as getting a job.So if paying all that money for school helps the brain wouldnt playing memory games help with day to day life as far as being able remember things like math,and quick thinking on your feet ?
I am a dissenter. I have been using Lumisity for a year. Now, I am NOT the normal healthy control type that you are referring to, those who are not going to see improvement because they haven’t yet LOST anything. But I am in my early 50s and have had MS since I was 14. I now have a brain tumor. I see a huge difference in my functioning as far as memory and attention span, compared to what I once was. I bought a lifetime membership and I enjoy the games. I have improved with them and I feel that if I can improve, even marginally, it is money well spent. BTW,they were very nice to me. I bought a one year membership and at the end of the year, I asked if they would apply the money I paid towards a lifetime membership and they did so. If they continue to charge your account, it is because you didn’t go into your account and turn off the auto-enroll, something that they make clear when you purchase.
I was reading some documentation, and theres a claim that Lumosity will ‘reduce’ future cognitive loss rather than improve current cognitive capability. Do you know anything about this?
I’m in my 60s and functioning well in a technical job. I signed up for the 2 year plan and believe that $5 a month is a small price to pay for the service. Consider it to be insurance, if it works, you are getting a cognitive benefit. How much is it worth to be a little smarter? Whether it works or not to improve mental acuity, you are getting a measure of where you stand in your age group and an understanding of any deterioration. It is evident that as we get older our mental skills decline steadily. Try playing video games with your kids. Are our “senior moments†evidence of a normal or accelerated decline in mental acuity? Trying to answer that question is the key reason I got into this, and so far I am pleased with the answer. A little self confidence never hurt. Either way it’s worth the price of one drink per month in a bar. Plus the games are fun and constantly adjusted to challenge the player at a level consistent with their abilities.
You specify a couple times “normal adults who have no memory or cognitive impairments”. Is there anything to suggest those with memory impairments my benefit?
I have memory issues caused by electroconvulsive therapy, and the idea of something that might improve that is seductive
If lumosity was serious the would list which schools hey were working with and the doctors names and would have published papers on their findings. I did the trial and scored 100% on the attention so what they did was they threw in a bonus round to make sure I could not keep that 100%.
Since this is all digital how do I now they aren’t changing the answers as I go
TO be real I think whipping out a math book and working problems is more beneficial.
“Don’t knock it until you try it. Some folks think it’s great”… Smart words to live by. You can make a study give you almost any result you want. However, Lumosity does have some science to support its claims. Also, the games are fun, engaging, and can improve cognitive functioning and self confidence. If you don’t believe me, then give them a try. They become extremely challenging as you make progress.
I signed up 4 people for $5 per month. So even if it is snake oil, it certainly isn’t very expensive. Sorry, until you show some valid clinical research that shows that Lumosity does not work, then all this conjecture is wasted energy.
In September i purchased a 1 year subscription to Lumosity and started daily training. I had a relapse in my depression and i believe the games acted as a type of meditation for me and i also learnt some good techniques for remembering peoples names!. I recently stopped when i watched a video of a man bringing up a valid point..This wasn’t his example..The Neural pathways used for the specific game are being strengthened, not necessarily the Pathways you would like to train! Ie The focus you use when your at a important lecture at university is different, compared to a focus game ‘Lost in Migration’ that makes you focus on the direction of 1 bird from many birds and responding with your direction keys. It seems everyone is getting very very good at the specific games. BUT!! the techniques you use to get better at the games can be used elsewhere! Which i see as a valuable lesson for many people.
Why not just use a very basic simple experiment to see whether or not you have technically improved? Lets say you would like to increase your memory capability. Try to remember as many random numbers or as many details from a difficult reading as possible. Keep this as a baseline. 6 months down the road try doing the same thing again. Has your memory improved? Can you remember more numbers in sequence or can you now after one reading recall a paragraph from a chapter in detail. If yes then it is working for you. Perhaps students may find this less useful as they are constantly challenging themselves to learn, study recall etc. But I do think it would be useful for the general population just to keep that mental cognition sharp in areas of the brain not frequently used.
I’m neither a psychologist nor a competitor. In short, I don’t have a dog in this hunt.
I’ve been a Lumosity customer for several months and really like it. I’m a sales professional, thus remembering peoples names is really important to me.
They have an exercise specifically for remembering names. It has absolutely, positively had a major impact with this in real life.
I have noticed that it feels like I can figure things out more quickly, like determining the shortest route in traffic.
Like many sales people, I’m very ADHD. As I am able to focus better my score goes up. Not sure if that impacts me in real life as I do a lot of things to work on focus. My focus is getting better.
I’ve read that crossword puzzles and saduku are good for you. They have exercises that are similar.
In other areas of my life, I’ve been able to change brain driven actions with practice over time. Hopefully, this does the same thing.
I definitely feel like I’m engaging in self care when I do it regularly. Also, it’s fun, so even if it doesn’t help, I enjoy doing it.
Also, I have definitely improved in ability to play the games. I was in the 3rd percentile when I started and am almost to the 98th percentile. So, it really feels good as I can do the exercises better and better.
Hi Pete,
Nobody’s saying that these games might not help a given individual. My problem is the way the company is marketing its games, as though they were something better than placebo (e.g., playing a crossword puzzle or sudoku).
Placebos, after all, help a great many people in research. But a placebo-based study also demonstrates that the active intervention — in this instance, playing Lumosity games — works, or doesn’t work.
Lumosity, surprisingly, hasn’t done this basic research, and instead relies on analogous studies, or studies that leave a lot to be desired in terms of their rigorousness.
Not a single placebo-controlled trial in the bunch. Which means that all of that “neuroscience” that Lumosity hangs its hat on can’t back Lumosity’s games for helping you.
It’s marketing, pure and simple. And in my opinion, it is deceptive.
That makes sense. It is a little questionable to me that they haven’t done the kind of study that proves what is marketed.
There is a well known medical professional that places great emphasis on some kind of brain evaluation. People pay a lot of money for his thing. I researched this technique and all the professionals spoke of the drawbacks of the technique.
The linch pin for me in that case was that with all his money, he didn’t fund independent research to prove his claims.
It’s Snake oil, if you are charged money! There’s tons of FREE brain games online…
Not genius.. Just good old Common Sense!
Atleast these brain games forces you to put some pressure on your brain and think. Many research has shown that when you put pressure on your brain trying to remember something or trying to find solutions to some thing while your body is in relaxed condition then that improves your memory.
I admit to being enticed by the supposed brain science and ability to improve my memory and brain function by playing games. I should have known better than to be lured by the heavy marketing and fabulous claims. I paid nearly $100 for a 2 yr subscription and was denied a refund when I realized I had been duped (not only was there no improvement in memory despite constant claims of stellar performance by the Lumosity measures, but I had become the target of a heavy handed marketing campaign designed to get me to pressure family and friends to sign up). I subscribed to this service based on the marketing claims of improved memory and brain performance. It seemed more credible coming from an educational based background and as an educator that appealed to me. I found it difficult to access the website from the foreign locations where I often work and the i-phone app was not the same quality of experience and seemed far less legitimate than the regular web page version. More importantly, I noticed no improvement in memory or any other brain function after using this consistently for over 2 months, despite the company claims my brain’s performance was miraculously improved. The rating system of where I stood with my age group was frankly suspect and seemed designed to only encourage me to continue playing games just to beat others. It became clear there was nothing credible in this data and the company had few other people in my demographic subscribed, so the performance comparisons had no solid basis. The performance numbers seemed rigged to encourage me to get friends and family to subscribe and then compete with them. I was bombarded with family and friend plan options. This service should sell itself based on its ‘science-grounded’ merits – not a heavy handed marketing campaign. After several months ‘playing brain games’ I realised that it is a scam, designed to squeeze money from gullible customers wanting to optimize their memory and performance. There is no discernable improvement in my mental capacity or memory since I subscribed. Now they refuse to give me a refund for the year and a half that’s left of the subscription and I’ve been forced to lodge a complaint with the BBB.
I am 70 years old. I am probably the least bright member of a very bright family. (One Macarthur Award winning genius and other distinguished members. Also quite a bit of talent, mental illness, and dementia among other family members.) I am awaiting results of a recent examination for dementia. I exercise and eat reasonably well, but I can feel my neurons dying one by one. For the cost, Lumosity gives me the feeling that I am doing something to stave off dementia, even if it doesn’t really work. So I don’t think I can tell anybody else anything useful, and perhaps not even myself.
I am not agreed that snake oil is improving your memory power but I am sure playing games is always help to improve your brain performance.