News Neuroscience

Playing brain training games regularly doesn’t boost brainpower

Even among dedicated trainers, the games didn’t boost brainpower in a large, real-world test

person playing brain training game on smartphone

Games to train the brain (one shown) do not boost thinking abilities, a new, real-world study suggests.

diego_cervo/iStock / Getty Images Plus

By Jackie Rocheleau

- More than 2 years ago

It’s an attractive idea: By playing online problem-solving, matching and other games for a few minutes a day, people can improve such mental abilities as reasoning, verbal skills and memory.