Lumosity: A Brain Fitness Winner

Lumosity is a website with game-style exercises that takes the latest advancements in neuroscience, cognitive psychology, and similar research of the brain and converts them into applications that help people improve basic cognitive functions. These brain games focus on training the mind in an interactive environment, and are a fast, fun, and effective way to improve cognitive performance and brain health. There aren’t any downloads or software to install, and each daily 10 minute session is designed to stimulate the neuroplasticity that leads to improved cognitive ability and a healthier brain.

Users pay a monthly subscription to use the program and track their progress with detailed performance reports that measure and graph their Brain Performance Index (BPI). A user’s BPI is based on performance in each of the four cognitive areas: attention, memory, processing speed and cognitive control. The BPI scales are based on an analysis and ranking of over 7,200,000 real game results which then evaluate your game scores and use a proprietary algorithm to derive your BPI- a concise measure of your overall brain performance.

Each game focuses on a separate cognitive domain: Attention helps improve concentration on relevant, instead of irrelevant information by exercising visual attention, selective attention, and shifting focus. Memory exercises target the types of memory that are important in everyday life such as spatial memory and working memory. The exercises focused on Processing Speed improve how quickly a person can think, take in sensory information, or conduct other cognitive processes such as comprehending language. And other games are designed to train and improve your Cognitive Control and reaction time with tasks focused on suppressing your automatic - almost reflexive - responses, helping you stay focused on the greater goal.

All of the exercises are original, engaging and entertaining, and adapt to your skill level as you improve. Monitoring my own improvement is rewarding and helps me to justify the time I spend “off-task” at work to my supervisor. After all, I’m only trying to make myself a more creative employee with better concentration and memory. I’m not just playing- I’m exercising.

Erin Stearns is an Associate Editor for YourLifeAfter50.com. She can be reached at Erin@yourlifeafter50.com.