Students, workers, or job seekers, young or old, everyone wants, or should want, to train and, if possible, improve their mental skills. Whatever the activity to be carried out and the context in which you want to test your skills, it is advisable to do it with a trained mind. Every day you have before you many opportunities to test your mental performance. Even if the brain ages it is not a problem, with constant activity and a curious approach, always being open to new things, you will always have a fresh and dynamic mind.
In this guide, we want to provide examples from the world of apps but nothing prevents us from training with simple brain training exercises among which we recommend:
- Stimulate tactile perception
Visual stimuli are the first that are received and processed. Learning to go beyond what we see, with exercises for the mind that start from the development of other senses, stimulates the ability to compare and analogy, the ability of the mind to analyze, and enjoy experimenting with new ways of understanding. Guessing objects by touch is apparently a child’s game, but it is also an effective way to give positive inputs to the brain. - Write with the other hand
Writing is a challenging activity at the brain level, because it is connected to the sphere of language, which involves a large part of the brain, but also because it is a fine motor activity, linked to the movement of the fingers. The concentration required to perform all these tasks with the other hand applies a stimulating massage to all our synapses. - Perform memory exercises
The good old Memory (also known as Concentration, Shinkei-suijaku (Japanese meaning “nervous breakdown”), Matching Pairs, Match Match, Match Up, Pelmanism, Pexeso, or simply Pairs) we all owned as children in different versions is still extremely relevant today. Memory games are extremely fun and require a mental commitment that we often neglect, such as that necessary to remember the position, shape, and succession of certain elements. Learning how to memorize quickly is no easy feat, but these games give us the ability to do it. Together with memory, concentration is trained, which these days is severely tested by faster approaches to the use of information.
Brain games are not just pastimes. Nowadays millions of people challenge their cognitive abilities every day, simply from the screen of their cell phones. The time lost waiting, while traveling on public transport, between one activity and another, is increasingly used to train the mind and increase its possibilities. So, phone in hand, get ready to scale the challenges of the mind to improve your intellectual development, breaking your own records or competing with other users. Here is a selection of apps for iOS and Android designed for brain training that you can download for free, at least in the basic versions.
- Peak
Peak is one of the most downloaded logic apps ever with over 12 million users. Readiness of reasoning and action are the skills that the game puts to the test, with increasingly complex levels that stimulate the desire for challenge. Thanks to a useful graph you can keep an eye on the trends and the successes. Peak uses games and puzzles developed in collaboration with scholars from the universities of Cambridge and NYU to test memory, language, and critical reasoning to keep the mind active. The tests are very funny and the graphics are also very captivating, details that do not go unnoticed by the admirers of this genre of games who continue to keep it constantly among the first in the standings. Peak is available for both iOS and Android. - Memorado
Memorado is certainly one of the brain games most loved by gamers with over 4 million users. The exercises are designed to activate the ability to react, logic, and even mathematical skills, thanks to a very high number of levels, over 450. Some of the most appreciated aspects are the personalization and inspiration for meditation, which makes the training an extremely fluid game. The stats will track your improvement and track it as you go. Useful for learning how to use the brain to produce more and study less, optimizing time and effort thanks to a snappy and responsive brain. - Lumosity
Enjoyed by over 70 million people worldwide, Lumosity combines more than 25 cognitive games to bring you a daily training program that stimulates the brain This app is the result of careful research in the field of neuroscience. A team of experts has created a series of tests to train the brain suitable for increasing the level of attention, memory, and other cognitive skills. The added value of this app is its genesis as a research tool for the studies of many scientists who want to disseminate innovative and useful proposals for the well-being of our brains. The free version offers enough material to try your hand at. - Elevate
Elevate is a brain training app that is very simple to use but equally effective. The app is designed to improve speaking skills, processing speed, memory skills, mental math, and more. Each person is provided with their own personalized learning program that adapts over time to maximize results. The number of games is not high but it still allows you to keep an eye on different mental parameters, such as logic, concentration, and memory. As with other proposals, also in this case the more you play the more the difficulty of the tests increases. - Cognifit
CogniFit is a leading application in interactive mind games that help stimulate cognitive skills through personalized daily training. This app allows you to compare your cognitive status with the rest of the world’s population and activate your brain with brain challenges, thinking games, brain teasers, brain games, etc. Again, the design of this app involved a team of psychologists and neuroscientists. The goal is to provide valuable daily support to refine brain plasticity, not only for adults but also for children. Before proceeding with the tests, a starting level is assessed on which to plan future challenges. Thanks to a highly professional approach, Cognifit gives the player the opportunity to develop problem-solving, reasoning, and other skills useful in everyday life.