2020 was a hard year for many of us—but it was a great year for scientific research on the efficacy of brain training. In just that one year, 57 scholarly articles were published on BrainHQ exercises and assessments (a pace of more than one a week)! The topics ranged from Alzheimer’s to depression to stroke—and many more. To learn more about what these studies were about and what they found, check out our press release. |
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Best regards, Jeff Zimman Co-founder Posit Science |
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| | Musical Connections Yet another study has shown that mastering a musical instrument has amazing brain benefits. In the largest imaging study comparing musicians and non-musicians to date, scientists at the University of Zurich have shown that the brains of musicians were “vastly more structurally and functionally connected” than the brains of those of us who don’t play music. The earlier an individual started playing the instrument, the more affected the brain was. Learn more and find out why this matters. |
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Learning More About Covid-19 in the Brain As the Covid-19 pandemic continues, scientists are learning more about how the virus affects the brain. The news isn’t good. One recent study found that survivors were more likely to experience psychiatric and neurological illness in the six months after their Covid-19 diagnosis. Another study, this one on mice, found that Covid-19 can “hide” in the brain, making the condition much more serious for some patients and potentially increasing long-term risk for other medical conditions. |
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Are You a Face “Super-Recognizer”? It’s pretty clear that some people are much better at remembering faces than others. In fact, some people are considered “super-recognizers” for their ability to remember faces—even if the face doesn’t look quite the same on repeat viewings (due to aging, makeup, facial hair, and so on). Being able to identify people who are exceptionally gifted at recognizing faces can help pair them with jobs where that is an important skill. Learn more about super-recognizers and take a 20-minute online test to see how measure up! |
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Do You Need a Brain to Sleep? In a curious new study, scientists have found that sleep pre-dates the brain—meaning that animals don’t actually need a brain to sleep. In a tiny animal called the hydra, these researchers observed a “sleeplike state,” despite the fact that the hydra doesn’t actually have a brain. This provides "strong evidence that animals acquired sleep-related mechanisms before the evolutional development of the central nervous system and that many of these mechanisms were conserved as brains evolved." Learn more. |
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Studying Swearing Professor Emeritus Timothy Jay spent his career studying swearing—and he has found that there are benefits to it. Among other things: using curse words may indicate intelligence, honesty, and creativity. These findings fly in the face of what most people think! Learn more. |
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Chatter: The Voice in Our Head, Why It Matters, and How to Harness It (2021) By Ethan Cross We all have an inner voice in our head, one that we talk to and that talks to us. That voice can act as a coach or—all too often—a critic. Through fascinating real-world stories and a look into neuroscience and psychology, Ethan Cross explores the many facets of our inner voice, and highlights the tools you can use to transform your negative self-talk into positive coaching for a healthier, more satisfying life. Learn more or buy now. |
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