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Games to train the Boomer brain

JACK KAPICA

Globe and Mail Update

Latest comment posted at 6:04 AM EDT 23/08/08

Getting old? Then maybe it's time you put you noggin through some mind games ...Read the full article

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  1. Aaron Mintz from Canada writes: What the game doesn't note in regards to the study (and what should be pointed out by the G&M, in my opinion) is that cognitive training may or may not include Lumosity/Brain Age. I know there's been a study regarding crossword puzzles, but the verdict's still out on these particular programs.
  2. Hugh Draper from Canada writes: Read, think, play music and exercise.
  3. Tom Duff from Winnipeg, Canada writes: I don't know why there is concern about baby boomers particularly. We have an "educational system" designed to condition and numb the mind and to make people resistant to change. The results are cumulative and if there is no remediation there is mental atrophy. Silly games are just a distraction; what people need to be thinking about are the real problems which face the world and our society. Unfortunately if they are conditioned to be socially braindead in their teens and 20's they aren't likely to be of much help in their 60's. Making matters worse is the patronising attitude to "seniors" (eg special university courses where they are exposed to more of the same authoritative clap-trap, not to mention the efforts of various social agencies designed to convince them of their mental incompetence) Older people once were regarded as a source of wisdom now they are discarded when wisdom is needed more than ever to balance out the damage created by people with smart aleck (ie dumb) ideas - notably politicians. I am 76 years old and don't have any trouble with my thinking. What I lack is the physical energy to combat the sea of stupidity(not to mention larceny)which surrounds me. I take pretty good care of my own affairs but I am concerned about those, of any age, who can not. Income trusts, Crocus Fund, Sub-prime loans immediately spring to mind as topics but there are lots of others such as: abused children who are sacrificed to political posturing over race; the wholesale killing of women which apparently goes unstopped because authorities disapprove of of their lifestyle. I am constantly reminded of: " If 50 thousand people say a stupid thing, it's still a stupid thing" - Bernard Shaw People saying stupid things is the mark of our age; even more so is the tendency of them to go unchallenged and for the evils they spawn unremedied.
  4. John Doucette from Manotick, Canada writes: As someone born before the "boom", I long-ago concluded that "boomers" had no brains. Mind games will not aid in a void!
  5. Larry Hill from Canada writes: Tom Duff from Winnipeg, Canada writes: I don't know why there is concern about baby boomers particularly It is simple, Tom. We "Boomers" have a lot of money to spend on entertainment.
  6. Martin Walker from Brooklyn, United States writes: Sharp Brains recently reviewed the brain fitness product market to see which products had the scientific credentials to back up their claims. They gave Lumosity 2 out of 10... (No product scored more than 5 out of 10 !)

    Anyone interested in brain training should see Susanne Jaeggi and Martin Buschkuehl's study on Improving Fluid Intelligence by Training Working Memory (PNAS April 2008) which recorded increases in mental agility (fluid intelligence) of more than 40% with less than 20 days of focused brain training.

    I was so impressed that I contacted the research team and developed a software program using the same method so that anyone can achieve these improvements at home. I've been using the training myself, of course, and the results are far from subtle. I can now tackle, and complete!, the Saturday crossword puzzle, for instance, when before I used to get stuck on Thursday.

    http://www.iqtesttraining.com - IQ Training Program

    martin
    mind evolve, llc
  7. Anne Irshad from Lahore, Pakistan writes: Game are very interesting and powerful source for mind training and this is a very valuable post. As http://hairlosscounter.com/ claims that hair loss is also recover with suitable mental traing with game and to remove the stress game are vital source.

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