Brain training apps are a scam

Here's 8 things that worked for 3000+ years...

February 08, 2026

A study published in Nature tested 11,430 people using brain training apps.

Result: They got better at the games, but showed zero improvement in real-world reasoning, memory, or problem-solving tasks.

Brain training apps improve specific skills (like remembering patterns in that exact game), but these skills don't transfer to general cognition. Your brain learns the game, not how to think better.

A comprehensive review analyzed all published studies cited by brain-training companies.

The conclusion: "Extensive evidence that brain-training interventions improve performance on the trained tasks... little evidence that training enhances performance on distantly related tasks or that training improves everyday cognitive performance."

In 2016, Lumosity (brain training app) was fined $2 million by the FTC for deceptive advertising. They couldn't prove their claims about improving cognitive performance.

What actually works instead:

The old, simple, proven things.

Done consistently.

Over months, and years, NOT days.

Exercise - Ancient Romans and Greeks built palaestrae, massive training grounds where citizens wrestled, lifted heavy stones, and practiced combat. These weren't just gyms, they were where philosophers debated between sets and warriors prepared for battle. Physical strength meant mental sharpness. Modern science confirms that lifting weights for 12 weeks increases your brain growth chemical (BDNF) by 32%.

Reading out loud - Ancient Greek kids memorized huge poems (15,000+ lines). When you read out loud, your brain remembers better because you hear it AND see it.

Learning languages - Romans spoke 3+ languages. People who speak two languages get dementia 4.5 years later than people who speak one.

Walking while thinking - A famous teacher named Aristotle walked while he taught. Stanford found that 81% of people became more creative when walking vs sitting.

Learning hard skills - Old apprentices spent years learning their craft. When you learn something hard (like an instrument), your brain builds completely new pathways.

Reading books - People who read once a week have 46% less brain decline over 14 years. Readers lose 30% less memory when they get old.

Deep sleep - When you sleep deeply, the space between your brain cells gets 60% bigger. This lets fluid wash out toxic junk. Your brain cleans itself while you sleep.

Writing by hand - Before computers, everyone wrote by hand. Writing by hand uses more of your brain than typing. You remember way more.

These are fundamental human activities that worked for 3,000+ years and actually build your brain.

This is why I never recommend or use brain training apps. At the end of the day, they're just useless video games. If you're looking to get entertained, not improve, go ahead and play them. But don't fool yourself into thinking you're building your brain.

Master the fundamentals. Once you have these basics in place and do them consistently for months and years, you don't need anything else.

There's a reason we don't have modern Da Vincis, Aristotles, or Newtons. They accomplished more with no Google, no Wikipedia, no apps, just deep focus for hours, every single day, for years…

Technology was supposed to make us smarter. Instead, it fragments our attention into seconds. Apps promise shortcuts but deliver cognitive overload. Modern research calls it "brain rot."

Go back to the basics.

-Ernest

📖 Book recommendation

I highly recommend reading Deep Work by Cal Newport. This book that explains exactly why we don't have modern Da Vincis. He breaks down how distraction destroys cognitive capacity and how to rebuild deep focus in a fragmented world. If you read one book this year about protecting your brain from technology, read this one.

Check out previous issues @ EnhancingBrain.com