When I was a boy, my mother nearly clobbered a psychologist who said I was “slow”.
He quickly corrected himself to explain that I think before I speak. (It’s a virtue now hated by girlfriends, who see it as a delay to think up excuses.) Neuroscience has a fancy name for it: cognitive control.
Not surprisingly, the two games that come under this label suit me more; they reward accuracy more than speed.
By the end of the course, I wonder whether the exercises have changed the way I think in day-to-day life. I can see that Raindrops could help, but I’m already doing sums on automatic anyway.
On the other hand, I sense that Birdwatching could help me take in selective information in a snapshot, such as when I’m skimming through reams of research hoping to snag a key word or phrase. I’ve experienced a breakthrough in Monster Garden as I’ve begun to learn some visual mapping skills. (The next time I park at a shopping mall, I make a mental note of key reference points and find my car quite easily.)
After a rocky beginning, I’ve also had a turnaround on two games that rely on reaction time.
As an experiment, I don’t touch Lumosity for three weeks. I figure that if I then get near my previous top scores, this will indicate a lasting effect. If I don’t, I’ll put my high scores down to practice.
I’m shocked at the results. On my first attempt, I achieve a personal best on two games. My memory nemesis, Monster Garden, is the only one where I don’t equal or improve my top score within five attempts.
Overall, perhaps the most useful thing was to discover where my weaknesses are. Thirty sessions is enough to see a jump-start to better mental skills, but I feel it takes longer to make them permanent.
Fortunately, the games are relaxing and more than a little addictive. And that’s all the motivation I need to keep it up. Ten months to go...
HealthSmart verdict: Fun, convenient and harmless.
