Dual-N-Back. The game changer.

There are a myriad of supplements, techniques, tips, tricks, and exercises all purporting to help brain function.  Most of them, as you probably know from experience, have little to no noticeable effect.  Dual-N-Back is not one of those things.  Right from the beginning you know it's different.  It's work.  And your brain knows it.  It will beg you for a break like your body constantly tests you while running long distances.  This is not a crossword puzzle or Sudoku or any of the other games you tell yourself are good for your brain.  It's not fun in the slightest.  However, if you are looking for one of the single most potent things you can do to improve cognitive function, this is it.

Hard to describe, but easy to learn once you try it.  You have to constantly remember X number of positions ago in a sequence of both visual and auditory stimuli.  Essentially this forces you to focus the entire length of the exercise.  In Dual 1 Back, for instance, you only have to remember the position and sound of the item that last appeared.  It's quite simple on this level, but it will get you used to the exercise.  Dual 2 Back is where things start to get tricky.  Constantly remembering not the item that just appeared, but the item that appeared before that, can be difficult if you're new to the exercise.  Believe it or not, if you stick with it most people can get used to remembering 5 items ago, or Dual 5 Back, in a matter of a few months.

At the recommended 20 sessions per day (each session lasting only around 45 seconds) it's simply the best bang for your buck out there for brain boosting.  It is one of the only known exercises that can actually increase your fluid intelligence (IQ)!  And the best part?  My personal favorite program for N-Backing is completely free.  Here it is:

Brain Workshop

There are pay for play Dual-N-Back programs out there, but why fix what isn't broken?

A free browser based Dual-N-Back program that I use from time to time is found here:

Cognitive Fun  -Just click on the Memory tab to see the list of N-Back games.   

I did mention earlier that it's not fun to work on Dual-N-Back.  Well that's not entirely true.  After only a few sessions, you'll find yourself able to follow conversations much more easily, even if the person is talking quickly.  That's where the fun lies.  It trains focus like nothing else.  Willful focus, that is.  Ever tell yourself, "This is important brain, focus on this!" and..your brain lazily boots up its attention areas, finally focusing once the needed time has passed?  Well this fixes that.  And the effects of only a few sessions can last for weeks and even months.  With the occasional tune up session, you can retain your new level of focus indefinitely.  Research has shown that subjects who stopped N-Backing then started again were able to quickly jump back to and even surpass their old levels.

The Downside-There's not much of a downside to this, really.  No catch.  Just put in the work and you get the benefits.  I will mention however, that it is my personal belief that individuals who suffer from obsessive compulsive tendencies should avoid doing these exercises.  The emphasis on focus tends to exacerbate those issues.

So that's it.  Have fun! (or don't have fun).  The brain figures out fast when you're making it do real work, and will send out the 'not fun' signals.  Ignore them and push on anyways.  You won't be disappointed.