One major caveat: Small cautions against getting too excited about many of the studies behind the brain-health benefits of mental stimulation. “It’s important to find the sweet spot, where it’s not too difficult and it’s not too easy.” “What happens with some of these games is people just give up because it’s too much work,” Small says. The key is finding a game that’s challenging but still fun. Available only by prescription, EndeavorRx is the first game-based digital therapeutic treatment shown to improve symptoms associated with ADHD. Kids with ADHD are often restless, struggle to stay focused, and act impulsively, which can lead to poor school performance, per the National Institute of Mental Health. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) permitted marketing of a game-based digital device to improve attention function in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). By playing games that require you to juggle tasks, you may be able to stave off cognitive decline and related diseases like dementia. The researchers note that our ability to multitask declines once we leave our twenties, similarly to the decline in other cognitive skills, such as reasoning and working memory.

Small is the former director of the UCLA Longevity Center and has led studies on memory fitness programs.įor example, previous research found that older adults who played a multitasking video game three hours a week for four weeks saw significant improvements in multitasking ability, working memory, and attention, compared with those who did not. “There’s been a lot of research in this area and there’s definitely a link between mental stimulation and lowering your risk for cognitive decline with age,” says Gary Small, MD, chair of psychiatry at Hackensack University Medical Center in New Jersey, and author of The Memory Bible. Play games, boost brainpower? It may sound too good to be true, but playing games like those you’d find on your phone could help you stay sharp for years to come.

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