CogniFit
  • Brain Health
  • Wellness
  • Mindfulness
  • For Educators
  • For Families
  • Research & Discoveries
  • News & Press
    • CogniFit News
    • CogniFit Timeline
  • Start Training
    • Google Play
    • iTunes
    • Cognifit.com
  • English
CogniFit News

Drive Me Crazy Game – Directions Gone Insane!

May 18, 2022 0 comment
CogniFit News

Twist It – Warning, Your Brain Will Love This Game

May 13, 2022 0 comment
CogniFit News

Space Rescue Game – Astronauts & Asteroids, Oh My!

May 12, 2022 0 comment
CogniFit News

Color Frenzy – Get Your Brain Hyped on Hues!

May 10, 2022 0 comment
CogniFit News

Math Madness Game – Images & Equations to Improve Memory

May 4, 2022 0 comment
CogniFit News

Marble Race – Like Skee-Ball but with a Big Brain Twist

May 3, 2022 0 comment
CogniFit News

Drive Me Crazy Game – Directions Gone Insane!

by Robyn Hemington May 18, 2022
written by Robyn Hemington

No, Drive Me Crazy is not a racing game. But the speed that some levels get to can feel like you’re behind the wheel of a Bugatti going down an icy hill while someone is screaming distracting noises in your ear.

So, what is this game, and how does its simple mechanics help Auditory perception, Contextual Memory, Inhibition, and Shifting abilities? Let’s take a closer look!

How To Play Drive Me Crazy


First, you’ll be given an auditory check. If you can hear the tone, you can go ahead to the next screen. Here, you’ll be asked to select a level (by moving the upside-down-tear drop) on the right side of the screen.

You’ll be given a quick tutorial on that level. Right after, you’ll jump into gameplay.

On lower levels, you’ll have plenty of help. The screen will either show the word left, right, up or down. Then, all you need to do is click the corresponding arrow. You will also get audio prompts. If the recording says, “up” just press the up arrow. Sounds easy, yeah? And you would be quite correct. And easy levels are always something we suggest starting with.

Because it’s on the harder levels that the game really earns its name.

At the highest difficulty, you’ll hear four directions. However, you’ll also see conflicting information. For example. The task might be to “remember the four spoken directions” but the screen will flash opposite directions, or even numbers, or completely different words.

Afterward, you’ll have to click the arrows FAST. And we mean REALLY fast. Even a couple seconds delay and the round will count as failed.

But don’t worry. There’s no rush or need to push yourself to that level any time soon, if at all. Stay at wherever level you feel is comfortable. Still, make sure it’s challenging enough to keep your brain building those neural pathways!

drive me crazy

What Brain Functions Are Flexed During Driving Me Crazy?

1. Auditory perception


Our brain interprets so much information (stimuli) around us. One of those is auditory information.

So, when the phone rings, we know to pick it up. It also lets us know if we recognize the other person on the other end or not. Sound waves zip through the air, reach certain areas of our inner ear, and then are sent to parts of the brain to be processed.

We are also able to understand different tones, timbres, durations, and intensities. But all of these are just mere details.

  • Our brains must be able to first “detect” the sound wave.
  • Next, we need to be able to separate it from other competing noises around us.
  • After that, we must be able to recognize it – is it your mom asking you to clean your room again or the strum of a guitar?
  • Finally, our brains need to “comprehend” the meaning of the sound. A good example is the ring of a bell. To students, it’s a sign that class is over. To others, a signal to go to church.

2. Contextual Memory


Our minds have so many different kinds of memory it’s crazy! Also, each one has a very necessary place in the impressive neurological dance we exist in every moment.

Contextual Memory is part of long-term memory. But it’s not something that lets you learn and remember a new language.

Have you ever been around a smell that triggered a certain memory that made you happily nostalgic? Or is there a song that you can’t stand listening to because it’s connected to a heartbreaking memory?

This is Contextual Memory.

And as painful as it might be sometimes, it’s one of the reasons we can learn and retain things more efficiently. So, it’s a very important brain function to nurture.

drive me crazy

3. Inhibition


Have you ever been driving, and someone cut you off? All you wanted to do was slam on your horn, scream at the top of your lungs that the driver was a “so-and-so”? And you were ready to cut him off, jump out of your car, and bonk them on the head?

First, please don’t do that.

Second, if you didn’t do that, you have excellent Inhibition. However, keeping your temper isn’t all that this brain function is essential for. This skill lets us have better control and concentration in our lives. In fact, it’s one of our “Executive Functions” – key processes (key functions that allow goal setting and planning).

People with poor Inhibition skills might have these problems:

  • Can’t concentrate during school or work
  • More traffic altercations
  • Have more of a negative mindset
  • Keeping their calm during annoyances
  • Trouble having a fluid conversation

4. Shifting


It’s the wonderful process of adaptation!

Yep, “Shifting” is what gives humans the ability to change to whatever happens around us. However, it’s important to know that cognitive flexibility refers to the ability to adapt to a change, while mental shifting is the process that makes it possible to adapt to the change. (Yes, English is tricky, but it really boils down to “can” vs “do”, if that makes sense).

Not only can you adapt quickly, but you can also tolerate changes well or move from one task to another with relative ease. If you have great Shifting skills you can see from different points of view and recognize hidden relationships. It helps with achieving goals, supporting intelligence, and much more empathetic.

Drive Me Crazy Conclusion


As we can see, Drive Me Crazy takes some very important mental skills and mixes them all together. Inhibition makes you not click the buttons too fast and get wrong answers. The audio clips and words help your Contextual Memory with you link them with what you see on the screen. So, you can see how it all works?

Try DRIVE ME CRAZY

The great thing is that building better brain function doesn’t take as much as people think. Just 3 sessions a week and 20 minutes per session and you’ll be on the road to a rocking brain! Check out this game and more at CogniFit.

May 18, 2022
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
CogniFit News

Twist It – Warning, Your Brain Will Love This Game

by Robyn Hemington May 13, 2022
written by Robyn Hemington


Upon first glance, Twist It, might seem familiar. After all, there are a million versions online. However, the difference between those and the one CogniFit designed was that the generic ones are meant to drain your wallet or zone you out. On the other hand, Twist It was specifically created to work on key brain functions and improve them.

Let’s take a look at how the game works and how it ties into the 5 cognitive functions you’ll be exercising.

How to Play Twist It


The objective of this game is to align three or more pieces of the same kind, horizontally or vertically, by swapping one with the other. Lines of four or more will work, but the minimum is three. Also, diagonal lines or blocks of 4 will not work (only lines).

Lower levels keep it simple.

You’ll have to race against the clock to get the target number of line combos. That, in and of itself is easy and quite enjoyable.

However, as you up the game’s difficulty, more obstacles are put in your way. Some blocks will be “iced” over, and you’ll have to line them up twice to make them disappear. Also, some of the leaves and flowers will have slight differences. This will force you to step up your concentration (planning game).

Twist It game play
Twist It – Easy Level

You can also get special pieces by merging four or five pieces. These pieces will let you break more blocks. But, on the hardest levels, you’ll come across “diamonds.” The only way to break these is to “explode” the adjacent “boom” blocks. These are the ones with grey backgrounds.

Twist It will get you hooked fast. But you don’t have to feel guilty while playing because you’ll be nurturing the following brain functions…

Focused Attention


This is just someone’s ability to focus on certain stimuli for a given period of time. It can help us focus on study or let us know when we are thirsty. However, it can be hindered by…

  • Personal Factors: We’re more likely to process a stimulus correctly when we’re awake and motivated. Rather than sad or tired, or bored.
  • Environmental Factors: It’s easier to pay attention to a stimulus or target activity if there are fewer distractions. The more distractions, the harder it is to harness our Focused Attention.
  • Stimulus Factors: Novelty, complexity, or duration of the stimulus. If there’s just one obvious stimulus, it will be easier

Twist It makes you focus on the images and their subtle differences in order to make a successful match.

Planning


Planning is one of our Executive Functions. It gives us the ability to think about the future – whether seconds or years. During this process, we need to think about the timeline, and what steps we need to take, and the goals we need to achieve to be successful. Some common examples can include…

  • Packing a suitcase
  • Going shopping
  • Getting something from a high place
  • Cleaning a room
  • Cooking a meal
  • Organizing a day out with friends

People with poor Planning abilities have trouble making decisions or foreseeing consequences. They might have problems knowing how long it will take to do something. There will also be indications of low productivity, careless work habits, and difficulty dealing with unexpected situations. They also take much longer to adapt to change.

The planning aspect of this CogniFit game is clear – but presented in a fun way so the player feels no pressure while improving this Executive Function.

Visual Perception


Perception is being able to interpret the information that your different senses receive from your surroundings. Light waves reach our eyes and the brain processes them in different ways so we can understand them.

To get an idea of the complexity of this cognitive function, try to think about your brain when you look at a soccer ball. What are the factors that you should identify?

  • Lighting and contrast: You can see the lines that are more or less illuminated, and have a parameter that is different than the rest of the objects around and behind it.
  • Size: It’s a circular object with a circumference of about 27 inches.
  • Shape: It’s round.
  • Position It’s about 10 feet from me, to my right. I could easily touch it.
  • Color: It’s white with black pentagons. If the light went away suddenly, we would still know that it is black and white.
  • Dimensions: It’s three-dimensional, which means that it’s a sphere.
  • Movement: It’s not moving now, but is susceptible to movement.
  • Units: There is one, and it’s different from the ground.
  • Use: It’s used to play soccer. It is kicked with the foot
  • Personal relationship with the object: I like the one that you use at soccer practice.
  • Name: It’s a soccer ball. This last process is called “naming”.

Since there are many variations of the flowers and leaves in Twist It, you’ll heavily rely on your Perception Skill.

Twist It game play
Twist It – Hard Level

Visual Scanning


Visual scanning is the ability to efficiently, quickly, and actively look for information relevant to your environment. It’s what makes it possible to find what you’re looking for using just your vision. Visual scanning is an important skill for daily life, and makes it possible to efficiently carry out a number of different tasks.

Width of Field of View


Field of View is what the eye sees when you look at a static point, both straight ahead and around you (periphery). Field of vision makes it possible to perceive your daily environment. In general, the normal limits are:

  • Nasal portion: The space that is between the field of view towards the nose. The normal limit in this field of view is 60º (horizontal axis).
  • Temporal portion: The space between field of vision towards the ear. The normal limit in this part is 100º (horizontal axis)
  • Superior portion: Space between the center of field of vision and up. The normal limit for this field of vision is 60º (vertical axis).
  • Inferior portion: Space from the center of field of vision and down. The normal limit for this field of view is 75º (vertical axis).

So, other games of this nature work with a small screen. CogniFit uses a larger screen of images to expand your Field of View. You exercise this aspect of your brain function passively while playing!

Twist It Conclusion


This game is definitely something to add to your weekly regime. And did you know that to build better brain function, all you need is 3 sessions a week and 20 minutes per session? Why not give it a try?

Try CogniFit’s TWIST IT Here!
May 13, 2022
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
CogniFit News

Space Rescue Game – Astronauts & Asteroids, Oh My!

by Robyn Hemington May 12, 2022
written by Robyn Hemington

Want to play something that has a nod to the retro but the modern foundation of a brain game? Look no further than Space Rescue!

In this game, you will pilot a spaceship equipped with two orbiting claws. Your main goal is to rescue the astronauts while you dodge asteroids, satellites, and other debris.

But There’s So Much More!


At lower levels, you’ll be able to control the spin of your grappling hooks. Because yes, if they get clipped, you’ll lose a life! Dodge the coming debris until you see a stranded rocketeer. Then, dive in and let your shuttle claws grab him!

And, in fine CogniFit fashion, we’ve tossed in another brain-building twist.

At the end of each level, you will have to remember what planets, stars, UFOs, or galaxies you saw when rescuing a particular astronaut.

As levels get harder the speed of your obstacles increases (to put it mildly). Also, there will be more to dodge. And, finally, you won’t have the luxury of controlling your claw arms. They will be in a constant spin – forcing you to be extra careful how you navigate the dark expanses of space.

So, let’s take a closer look at some of the brain functions you’ll be exercising while playing Space Rescue!

Space Recuse Game Play

Contextual Memory


This kind of ability allows us to (for lack of a better term) locate the origin of a specific memory. It can be anything – a person, place, smell, emotion, etc. It’s also a part of what goes into our long-term memory. But it’s connected to so much more.

Maybe you catch a smell of pine, and it reminds you of Christmas. Then you get that warm-fuzzy feeling of past times when you watched your kids open presents. Suddenly your stomach turns with the thought of your in-laws visiting. This is what Contextual Memory does.

But have you ever heard, “you can’t always trust your memories?”

Well, it can sometimes be true. Stress, time restraints, distractions, or problems somewhere along our memory creation processes can create errors. Things like dementia or brain injury are just a couple of examples. But there are also ways to make this particular brain process strong or more efficient.

Estimation


Estimation lets us do so many things we do on a daily basis. Things like reaching to push an elevator button, or judging if there’s enough space to parallel park between two cars.

We also have subcategories:

Distance Estimation: Distance estimation is the ability to estimate the future location of an object based on its current distance, and is the ability that makes it possible for us to carry out everyday activities without bumping into people or things.

  • Speed Estimation: Speed estimation is the ability to estimate the future location of an object based on its current speed. This is what makes it possible to move through life and avoid obstacles and accidents.
  • Movement Estimation: The ability to anticipate an object’s movement.
  • Time Estimation: The ability to calculate the amount of time there is between two events.

In space rescue, you’ll have to use your estimation skill to know if you have enough room to pass around obstacles without getting hit.

Response Time


Also called “reaction time”, it’s the time it takes from when we see/perceive something to when we react to it.

Reaction time depends on various factors:

  • Perception: Seeing, hearing, or feeling a stimulus with certainty is essential to having a good reaction time.
  • Processing: It’s necessary to be focused and understand the incoming information/stimulus well.
  • Response: Motor agility is necessary in order to be able to act and complete the response time loop.
Space Recuse Game Play
Space Recuse Game Play

However, there can be several “obstacles” that can make reaction time harder.

  • “State” of the person – sleepy, too much food, age, etc.
  • The complexity of the Stimulus: The more complex the stimulus, the more information that has to be processed, and the longer this process will take.
  • Familiarity, preparation, and expectations: If you have to respond to a known stimulus that you’ve responded to before, the reaction time will be lower. The less information that you have to process, the quicker the reaction time will be. 
  • Stimulated sensory modality: Reaction time is shorter when the stimulus that triggers the response is auditory than if it is visual because auditory stimuli require less processing. Each sensory modality has a different reaction time.

Spatial Perception


This is the ability to be aware of your relationships with the environment around you. However, it’s actually made up of two sub-processes.

  • Exteroceptive processes:  which create representations about our space through feelings.
  • Interoceptive processes: which create representations about our body, like its position or orientation.

Space is what surrounds us: objects, elements, people, etc. Space also makes up part of our thinking, as it is where we join all of our experiences. In order to get proper information about the characteristics of our surroundings, we use two systems. It helps us think in two and three dimensions, which allows us to visualize objects from different angles and recognize them no matter the perspective that we see them from.

Fun Fact: The left hemisphere is in charge of developing this cognitive ability. This hemisphere is where math and spatial calculations are developed, which directly correlate to good spatial perception, spatial comprehension, and with ourselves in our environment.

Space Rescue Conclusion


So, does Space Rescue sound like something for you? When it comes to a healthy brain fitness regime, all you need is 3 times a week and 20 minutes per session. Why not give it a try?

Try SPACE RESCUE Here!
May 12, 2022
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
CogniFit News

Color Frenzy – Get Your Brain Hyped on Hues!

by Robyn Hemington May 10, 2022
written by Robyn Hemington

There are brain games that are a real challenge. Then there are others that are a bit more relaxing. That doesn’t mean that the latter doesn’t flex your brain in a big way!

This is why CogniFit’s Color Frenzy is a fantastic game to add to your weekly repertoire. Despite its name, it won’t put your heart in a frenzy! Let’s take a look at how the game works and the four brain functions you’ll be improving while you play.

How to Play Color Frenzy


The starting screen lets you choose what level of difficulty. Our suggestion? Try a few rounds on lower levels to get a feeling for how things work.

The premise itself is simple, you’ll have a number of squares of the same color. Eg. purple. But one of the squares will be slightly darker or lighter than the others. All you have to do is click that square. As the levels get harder there will be more subtle shade/tint variations to make you concentrate even more.

At the hardest levels, things take a twist. Blocks will be grouped with differed hues but you’ll have to estimate which group is the largest/smallest etc.

But what about the brain functions you use? Here are the four you will exercise and how they are important in your life….

color frenzy

Color Frenzy & Estimation


You’ll probably hear throughout many articles that (whatever) brain function “is the most important” blah blah. But in the case of Estimation, it’s one deserves very much to be in the category. Why?

It’s something that we rely on for nearly everything we do. Do you want to open a door to get to the next room? You have to estimate the space between you, your hand, and the doorknob before you can even get to the eye-hand coordination part. And if you like sports, they would be impossible to play without this essential function.

But, it’s also broken down into “micro-strategies”…

  • Distance Estimation: Distance estimation is the ability to estimate the future location of an object based on its current distance and is the ability that makes it possible for us to carry out everyday activities without bumping into people or things.
  • Speed Estimation: Speed estimation is the ability to estimate the future location of an object based on its current speed. This is what makes it possible to move through life and avoid obstacles and accidents.
  • Movement Estimation: The ability to anticipate an object’s movement.
  • Time Estimation: The ability to calculate the amount of time there is between two events.

Everything from driving to making on-the-fly judgments need this brain function.

color frenzy

Focused Attention


Simply put, it’s just someone’s ability to detect and pay attention to something (stimulus) for a given amount of time. This can include survival reactions like knowing when we need to drink something.

This brain function depends on three things…

  • Personal Factors: Level of activation, motivation, emotion, or sensory modality that processes the stimulus. We’re more likely to process a stimulus correctly when we’re awake and motivated, rather than sad or tired, or if the stimulus is boring
  • Environmental Factors: It’s easier to pay attention to a stimulus or target activity if there are few environmental distractions, and it becomes more difficult to concentrate with more frequent or intense distractions.
  • Stimulus Factors: Novelty, complexity, duration, or salience of the stimulus. If there is only one single, simple, obvious stimulus, it will be easier to detect it.

This skill is important in things like driving, academics, and in your job.

Processing Speed


Processing speed is one of the main elements of the cognitive process, which is why it is one of the most important skills in learning, academic performance, intellectual development, reasoning, and experience.

Think of a computer. While there are many parts that help it run fast, the CPU is vital for speed. It’s the same for our brains and processing speed. It’s the time you take to do a mental task. It’s how long you take to receive information and react to it.

But it’s important to keep in mind that this has nothing to do with intelligence! It just means it might take longer to do things – like complete a task in 1 hour that would normally take 30 minutes.

color frenzy

Visual Perception


Being able to read this text seems like a simple process. We look at the letters and are able to make sense of the words. It seems simple, but it’s actually an extremely complex process that uses a number of brain structures specialized in visual perception and the different sub-components of vision.

This ability to interpret information depends on your particular cognitive processes and prior knowledge. Visual perception could be defined as the ability to interpret the information that our eyes receive. But we also have to understand things like…

  • Lighting and contrast: You can see the lines that are more or less illuminated, and have a parameter that is different than the rest of the objects around and behind it.
  • Size: it’s a circular object with a circumference of about 27 inches.
  • Shape: it’s round.
  • Position: It’s about 10 feet from me, to my right. I could easily touch it.
  • Color: It’s white with black pentagons. If the light went away suddenly, we would still know that it is black and white.
  • Dimensions: It’s three-dimensional, which means that it’s a sphere.
  • Movement: it’s not moving now, but is susceptible to movement.
  • Units: there is one, and it’s different from the ground.
  • Use: it’s used to play soccer. It is kicked with the foot
  • Personal relationship with the object: it’s like the one that you use at soccer practice.
  • Name: it’s a soccer ball. This last process is called naming.
Try COLOR FRENZY here!
May 10, 2022
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
CogniFit News

Math Madness Game – Images & Equations to Improve Memory

by Robyn Hemington May 4, 2022
written by Robyn Hemington

If the word “math” gives you the cold sweats and stressful flashbacks to high school calculus, you’re not alone. But don’t let that stop you from trying this month’s brain game feature Math Madness!

First, you can rest easy knowing that math itself is quite simple. Second, it’s actually your Recognition and various types of Memory processes that you’ll be exercising. So, let’s dive into how the game works as well as take a look at what brain functions you’ll be flexing while you play.

How to Play Math Madness


math madness

First, you’ll be prompted to choose a level of difficulty. As always, it’s a very good idea to start at the lowest level, so you can get an idea of how things work. You don’t want to discourage yourself by diving into the deep end and feeling overwhelmed!

At low levels, you’ll start with simple math – like addition or subtraction. You’ll also only have a few pictures to memorize.

The game works in an “alternation” process.

  • First, you’ll see images and their point values. For example, an elephant might be worth 10 points and a book might be worth 2.
  • On the next screen, you’ll see a set of new images. These have no point values. All you have to do is remember what you see.
math madness
  • Next, you’ll see the “point value” pictures again. But this time with no numbers. There are only “total sum” possibilities at the bottom of the screen. You have to choose the correct one. For example, if you see the violin and the fridge, you would clock the 9 out of the answers below.
  • Finally, the second set of pictures will appear. But this time some of them will be different, and you have to click on those.

As levels get harder the equations have sums with multiplication and subtraction etc., and image sets of 20 to memorize.

So, you can see that Math Madness uses math, but also images to force you to use your memory. But what kinds of memory are you exercising? Let’s take a look…

Non-Verbal Memory


Nonverbal memory is the ability to code, store, and recover information about faces, shapes, images, songs, sounds, smells, tastes, and feelings. Nonverbal memory is what makes it possible to retain and remember content without words (written or spoken).

Depending on how long the information stays in our memory and depending on the type of processing that it undergoes, memory can be divided into Sensory memory, Short-term memory, Working Memory, or Long-term memory.

Also, how we perceive the information, it can be divided into Visual and Spatial Short-term Memory, Haptic memory (touch), Olfactory memory (smell), and Gustatory memory (taste).

It’s obvious that this kind of memory is really important for our everyday lives. And although people might associate problems with Non-Verbal Memory with things like Alzheimer’s Disease or other dementias, it can also happen with people who suffer from depression.

Phonological Short-Term Memory


This is also called echoic memory, and it’s one of the sensory memory registries. Basically, it’s the sound wave information that reaches your ear and gets stored before going to the rest of your brain to be processed. It’s in charge of all of the short-term phonologic information that we receive from our environment. It also lasts a few seconds longer than visual memory. And in brain-terms, that’s a lot!

What makes this kind of memory really amazing is that it’s really resistant to brain injury. People with brain damage often still have PSTM intact!

Short-Term Memory


Short-term memory is exactly what you think is it. It’s the brain’s ability to store information for a short period of time. After that, it either goes into the brain for long-term storage or fades away.

The thing is if you think your short-term memory is bad, did you know that it only has a finite amount of space for everyone? Yep!

For example, if you are asked to remember a sequence of 10 digits, you’ll likely be able to remember between 5 and 9 numbers. This is because the amount of information short-term is able to retain is 7 elements, with a variation of 2, either more or less. We can also, on average, only hold onto something for around 30 seconds.

Short-term memory acts as an access door to long-term memory, or like a storage room that makes it possible to retain information that we won’t necessarily need in the future, but that we need at the moment. And even though there’s not much to work with, we can still exercise this brain function to make it a little bit stronger or more efficient.

math madness

Recognition


Recognition is really just the brain’s ability to identify “stimuli”, like situations, places, people, objects, etc. that you’ve seen before.

The funny thing is we can have a “false” reaction with Recognition.

  • A False Positive is where we think we recognize something we’ve never seen before. Like seeing a store we’ve never shopped at but think we did.
  • A False Negative is when we don’t recognize something we have seen before. Like seeing someone we have met previously.

The goal is to have fewer false reactions as possible – especially in things like driving, work, or academics.

Math Madness Conclusion


Now, we see how this game uses simple equations and pictures to work key areas of our brain when it comes to memory. So, why not give it a try? When it comes to brain health and building neural plasticity, all you need is 20 minutes a day 3 times a week! Go to CogniFit to learn more!

May 4, 2022
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
CogniFit News

Marble Race – Like Skee-Ball but with a Big Brain Twist

by Robyn Hemington May 3, 2022
written by Robyn Hemington

You’ve seen those games in arcades, fairs, or on television? The long ramps with the tiny cylinders at the end – and the impossible high-point one right in the middle.

Well, our amazing creative team at CogniFit has made another brain-exercising game that’s going to flex your Auditory perception, Estimation, Hand-eye Coordination, and Naming functions – all within the idea of those Skee-ball games.

skee ball - wikimedia commons
Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Let’s take a closer look at how you play as well as each brain process you’ll build and how they’re important.

How to Play Marble Race


After a quick audio check, you’ll find yourself on the instruction level screen. Here, you’ll get some tips as well as the option to choose what level of difficulty to start on.

Now, it might be tempting to jump to the end. But, trust us, it’s always a good idea to start at lower levels to get a feel for how things work. Then you can work your way up.

In front of you will be Skee-ball holes. In the upper left corner, there will be a blank section. And in the right corner, there will be a row with four colored marbles. Yours is the one at the very top. The others are your “competitors” – and this is your Marble Race.

  • Listen to the sound at the beginning of each round.
  • At lower levels, you’ll also get an image to help you.
  • Next, select the ball that has the first letter of the word associated with that sound. 
  • Click it with the mouse and then try to toss it towards one of the holes.
  • The higher value, the more points you get, and the faster your marble moves along the track.

As levels get harder, there will be more challenges…

  • More background noise to distract you
  • No pictures to help you out
  • More Skee balls with letters to choose from
  • More holes with lower values  

But don’t worry. You can stay at any level you want for as long as you want! The point is to exercise key brain functions and nurture those neural networks! Let’s look at what processes Marble Race helps…

Auditory Perception

When you hear an elevator ding, signaling you’ve reached your floor. Or, you hear a beep or vibrating pulse on your phone telling you there’s a new message. These may seem like simple things.

But in fact, it’s a long string of complicated processes that happens. And honestly, one that would make anyone appreciate the beauty of our brains.

First, the sound wave reaches our inner ears where it activates certain cells. Then, this information travels through different parts of our neural network. Once it reaches the auditory cortex in the temporal lobes, the data can be “worked with.” But how?

It needs to analyze the tone, timbre, intensity, and duration of the sound wave. For example, a quick horn honk vs a long one.

marble race

Estimation


Estimation is one of our most important neuropsychological functions, as many of our daily activities depend on our ability to estimate speed, distance, or time. Estimation could be thought of as the mental process that allows us to predict or create a response when there is no other solution.

  • Distance Estimation helps us not bump into people
  • Speed Estimation allows us to drive without accidents
  • Movement Estimation is what allows people to play sports
  • Time Estimation lets us calculate the time between two events

In Marble Race, you exercise your Estimation skills by trying to throw the ball in the higher-point holes.

Hand-eye Coordination


This brain function is needed for nearly everything we do. It’s our brain’s ability to link our eyes and our hands together. When we write, play sports, type on a keyboard, put a key in a lock, shake hands with someone, etc. One very important one is while driving.

What most people don’t realize is that having poor vision or motor skills on their own isn’t what affects hand-eye coordination. It’s when we have to use them together is when problems occur.

marble race

Naming


Naming is our ability to refer to an object, person, place, concept, or idea by its proper name. To name an object, you need access to your internal dictionary, find the specific word that you’re looking for, and say it out loud. This is done in three systems.

  • Phase 1 (the semantic system): Recovering information about the object that you want to name. For example, if you see an old classmate on the street, you identify that he was a classmate, that he was in your x class, and that he was friends with John, Tim, and Bill.
  • Phase 2 (phonological lexical system): Recovering the best word for the object or idea. Using the same example, your old classmate’s name was Jeff, which would make it the most appropriate name to call him. This is the key process in Naming.
  • Phase 3 (phoneme storage): Recovering each of the phonemes that make up the chosen word. For example, Jeff would be “/j/, /e/, /f/”.

These three phases are independent, which means that one of them can be altered without affecting the others. As such, the ability to remember a specific word is unrelated to the information that you have about the object that you want to name.

Naming helps us in many ways – taking tests, meeting friends, doing word games, or even following orders.

Marble Race Conclusion


This game is another great addition to CogniFit’s ever-growing portfolio of brain exercises. All you need is 20 minutes a day, 3 times a week! So, why not integrate Marble Race and see if you like it?

May 3, 2022
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
CogniFit News

Find Your Pet – A Robust Must-Try Brain Game

by Robyn Hemington May 3, 2022
written by Robyn Hemington

CogniFit’s Find Your Pet Brain Game – Click on areas of the screen until you hear the bark or meow of your fur baby. Sounds simple, right? But did you know that while playing this game, you’re exercising the following brain functions: Auditory Perception, Focused Attention, Inhibition, Spatial Perception, Visual Scanning.

Let’s take a closer look.

Find Your Pet Breakdown


After an audio check, you’ll find yourself on the main game page. Here, you can choose the level of difficulty. As with all game, it’s a good idea to try out the lower levels first to get a feel for what’s going on.

Once in the game, you find yourself in various landscapes with things like trees, people, vehicles, buildings etc.  Simply move your mouse to push the magnifying glass around the screen. Click on any part of the landscape and you’ll hear a sound.

Find Your Pet - Game Play
Find Your Pet – Game Play

It could be the wind blowing, leaves rustling, birds chirping, horns honking, etc. But if it’s not the sound of your pet, move on and click other parts of the screen until you find the little guy.

The thing is, on the surface, it seems easy. But it can be quite tricky. And the harder the level, the more noise distractions and a greater number of obstacles there will be. This means the more concentration and patience you’ll have to muster.

But what parts of the brain does Find Your Pet help with? Here’s a rundown…

Auditory Perception


Let’s say the phone rings. You pick it up and it’s your friend on the other end. What you’ve just done might seem like a very simple thing. However, a flurry of brain activity happened in mere milliseconds.

First, the audio waves reach your ears and then activate certain cells in the inner ear. The information is then sent to areas of the brain where it can distinguish things like timbre, tone, intensity, and duration of what you just heard.

But that’s not all that must happen in Auditory Perception.

First, we must be able to “detect” the sound. For example, some waves might be too quiet or far away for us to hear. Next, we need to “discriminate.” This means we need to pick out the sound from all the other noise clutter around us. Then, our brains need to “recognize” what we are hearing. Is it a guitar or someone talking? Finally, we need to be able to understand the sound’s meaning. For example, the ring of a bell at school tells us that class is over.

A lot of people link Auditory Perception problems with deafness. But that’s not all.

  • There’s “amusia” – where people can’t recognize music.
  • Musical hallucination – where people hear music that isn’t there.
  • Tinnitus – a constant ringing in one’s ears
  • And so much more.
Find Your Pet - Easy Level
Find Your Pet – Easy Level

Focused Attention


In short, Focused Attention means someone is able to concentrate on one thing for however long is needed. This can include being aware of driving conditions, to internal signals of know when it’s time to have a drink.

Types of attention include…

  • Arousal: How alert we are, whether we are tired or full of energy.
  • Focalized Attention: The ability to focus our attention on a stimulus.
  • Sustained Attention: The ability to focus on that stimulus or activity over a long period of time.
  • Selective Attention: How well we can focus when there are distractions around us.
  • Alternating Attention: If we can change focus between different tasks.
  • Divided Attention: How well we can pay attention to two things at once.

We all know that things like ADD, ADHA, schizophrenia, Alzheimer’s Disease, or strokes can cause attention disorders. However, things like severe lack of sleep or anxiety disorders can cause all kinds of problems with focus.

Inhibition


Have you ever been driving, and someone cut you off? Did you immediately pound on your horn and start yelling in a fit of rage? Or did you try to remain calm and focus on road safety?

Inhibition is one of our brain’s “executive functions” that helps us controls impulsive behavior and react with reason and attention instead.

Those with poor Inhibition have poor attention spans, hyperactivity, and forms of uncontrollable behavior.

Find Your Pet - Hard Level
Find Your Pet – Hard Level

Spatial Perception


This brain function basically allows us to use internal and external abilities to be aware of our surroundings. Without it, we would have a hard time walking upstairs or even turning a doorknob. It’s a particularly important function to have in order to be a safe driver.

Visual Scanning


If you like playing sports, you need to be able to scan the field quickly to know what to do next. Or, maybe you’re in a hurry in the supermarket. You need to grab the things on your list as fast as possible. Things like this are possible because of the brain’s ability to Visually Scan.

But in order to do this, our minds have to go through a certain process…

  • Selective and Focused Attention: You need to be aware of whatever “stimulus” in order to find it. Selective attention, however, is the ability to pay attention to a single stimulus when there are distractions around you.
  • Visual Perception: This makes it possible to distinguish, identify, and interpret shapes, colors, and lights. This is when you make sense of the information that you receive from your eyes.
  • Recognition: Comparing the visual information you receive to determine whether you have prior experience with this info.
  • Visual Scanning: Looking through all or part of your field of view to try to compare what you’re seeing to what you’re looking for. You will stop looking as soon as you recognize the information that you’re searching for.

The sequence of Visual Scanning is a delicate dance of brain processes. If even one is altered or damaged, it can be hard or even impossible to find what you’re looking for.

Find Your Pet Conclusion


Find Your Pet seems simple on the surface. But after seeing all the brain functions you exercise while playing, we now see that is a rather robust game. And one worth adding to your weekly brain game plan!

May 3, 2022
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
CogniFit News

Melodic Tennis – Flex Your Spatial Perception

by Robyn Hemington April 27, 2022
written by Robyn Hemington

CogniFit is thrilled to showcase another of its brain training games – Melodic Tennis!

Now, you’re probably thinking that these two words don’t really go together. But when it comes to exercising the cognitive functions of Auditory Perception, Recognition, and Spatial Perception, it’s actually a perfect fit! Let’s take a closer look at how the game works, the importance of each of these brain functions, and some other interesting tidbits.

How Does The Game Work?


If you haven’t created a CogniFit account, you’ll only have one level option. But don’t worry, signing up is free! Once you’re in the game interface, you’ll have the choice of which level you want to start with. If you haven’t played this kind of game before, it’s recommended to start on the beginner’s level and work your way up, so you don’t feel overwhelmed.

melodic tennis

You’ll find yourself on one side of a tennis court with a racket in front of you. On the other side are targets and a tennis ball machine. A ball will be shot your way and you have to move the racket to hit the ball and then hit an opposing target.

But here’s the twist.

Each target you hit will make a certain tone or give you extra points.

Once you’ve hit all your targets, you’ll play back several different musical note sequences. Your job is to choose which one you made while you were playing.

As the levels get harder, the racket’s range of movement increases, there are more noise distractors, and there are more targets to hit (and therefore remember).

melodic tennis

Melodic Tennis & Auditory Perception


On the surface, it feels like we hear a sound and just recognize it. But it actually goes through a complicated string of processes in our brain. Besides recognizing the tone, timbre, intensity, and duration of sound waves, we also have to be able to do the following…

  • Detect: get any sound waves within audible range of our ears
  • Discriminate: Be able to filter out what you want/need to hear from the background noise around you
  • Identify: Know what the sound is – if it’s your friend’s voice or the sound of a guitar
  • Comprehention: Understanding the meaning of a sound – eg. a bell signalling class is over

Many people associate deafness with auditory problems. However, there are so many more issues that can happen with our auditory perception. Amusia is when someone can’t recognize music. Tinnitusis the constant ringing in our ears. There is also such a thing as musical halluciantions – when someone hears music that isn’t there.

The tones played in Melodic Tennis and their playback are part of the brain training that helps with Auditory Perception.

Melodic Tennis & Recognition


Recognition can often be confused with memory. And while memory is part of it, there is so much more to this essential procsess. It allowes us to take in the information around us and compare it to what is already stored in our mind.

But did you know the brain can creative “negative” results in our regognition?

  1. False Positive – Where you think you recognize something you’ve never actually seen before. Like thinking you know a store you’ve never been to before.
  2. False Negative – Where you can’t remember something you have been exposed to before. Like not being able to remember someone’s name.

One of the most common issues with poor regoniztion is Alzheimer’s Disease. However,  stroke or chronic traumatic encephalopath can create problems too.

So, within the musical tennis game, you have to use regoniztion with the tones that come from the targets that you hit as well as from the playback afterward.

melodic tennis

Melodic Tennis & Spatial Perception


Spatial perception is the ability to be aware of and understand your relationship to the enviroment around you. Witout it, we wouldn’t be able to conceive of things like 2D or 3D. To do this, the brain breaks this process down into to subprocesses…

  1. The Exteroceptive process creates representations about our space through feelings
  2. The Interoceptive process creates representations about our body, like its position or orientation.

Our eyes take in what’s around us and processes the information, while our body (haptic system) usues touch and physical sensations to add more information to the impressive mountain of insintanious calcusations and outcomes. WIthout Spatial Perception, we wouldn’t even be able to open doors easily (if at all).

In Melodic Tennis, the area you’re playing in is a 3D space. You have to move your racket to be able to hit the ball to the target. You’re also using this process to move your mouse/keys. So, when you’re playing this game, take a moment to think about about the amazing things that are happeing in your brain as you’re dominating the court with your musical memory!

April 27, 2022
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
CogniFit News

Scrambled Game – Work Your Perception & Attention Abilities

by Robyn Hemington April 26, 2022
written by Robyn Hemington

Something like listening to your favorite music or picking up the phone and recognizing someone’s voice might seem like a simple thing. Maybe even reading a book or glancing at a text from a friend. But what goes on between your eye, ears, and brain might only take seconds but is impressively complicated.

CogniFit’s game “Scrambled” was made to target three specific brain functions: Auditory perception, Focused Attention, and Visual Perception. And, in this article, we will look at each of these processes, what can happen if they are impaired, and how this game works at different levels to help you strengthen these areas.

How Does The Game Work?


scrambled game

At easier levels, Scrambled might seem like a breeze. But don’t let this game fool you.

After you’re asked to do a simple audio test (Aka. “Can you hear this tone coming out of your computer?”) you’ll be prompted to choose a level. Even if you’re confident in your cognitive abilities, it’s recommended to start at a beginner’s level. This is for one very important reason, which we’ll look at later.

The basis of Scrambled is simple.

You’ll hear a sound recording. After it ends, click on the image the sound comes from. For example, if the sound is a blender, you would click on the picture of a blender. You keep listening and clicking until you get one wrong, and then the game is over. After, you’ll be prompted to choose which level to start at again. But don’t worry. The sounds are randomized so it’s okay to do the previous level over again!

But what happens at harder levels?

scrambled game

Well, there is a combination of four obstacles thrown at you:

  • Background noises
  • Similar sounds
  • Sound Distractors
  • Distorted images

For example, at the hardest levels, the images will be highly pixilated and you’ll have a bombardment of competing sounds. All of this is to make you concentrate both visually and auditorily. Some images will really trip you up – like a picture of a flute versus an oboe which are hard to tell the difference between when they’re really blurred. This is why (as mentioned earlier) it might be better to start at earlier levels so you can at least get an idea of the pictures that are used.

So, with all these sounds and images, how does the Scambed Game help your cognitive functions?

Let’s take a closer look.

Scrambled Game & Auditory Perception


It’s been well documented that “exercising” your brain functions (neural network) can create new ones. Therefore making them “stronger.” Auditory Perception is no exception. This is why you’ll hear various, competing sounds during the game.. But what is this ability exactly?

Well, in plain terms, it’s our brain’s ability to interpret the different information we get from the environment through our ears. Audio waves zip through the air and reach the inner ear. Then, certain cells are activated and transmit signals through nuclei until they reach the medial geniculate nucleus (in the thalamus).

After that, it goes to the auditory cortex in the temporal lobes, Finally, the information is sent to other parts of the brain so it can do its thing. During this entire process, we are deciphering the tone, timber, duration, and intensity of what we are hearing.

Some areas where auditory perception is vital are in a classroom environment, driving safety, and musical abilities.

But what happens when this perception is damaged or altered in a negative way?

  • General deafness
  • Wernicke’s aphasia (inability to understand language)
  • Amusia (inability to recognize music)
  • Tinnitus (constant ringing in the inner ear)
  • Musical hallucinations (hearing music that isn’t there)

Scrambled Game & Focused Attention


Also called “Sustained Attention”, this brain function allows someone to pay attention to something for a long time. However, it can also be divided into two subcategories. The first is vigilance (detecting the appearance of a stimulus) and the second is concentration (focusing on the stimulus or activity). 

There are also sub-components:

  • Arousal: activation level and level of alertness, whether we are tired or energized.
  • Focalized Attention: to focus attention on a stimulus.
  • Sustained Attention: to attend to a stimulus or activity over a long period of time.
  • Selective Attention: to attend to a specific stimulus or activity in the presence of other distracting stimuli.
  • Alternating Attention: to change focus attention between two or more stimuli.
  • Divided Attention: to attend to different stimuli or attention at the same time.

You’ve probably heard of problems with focused attention in the form of ADD or ADHD as well as dementia or dyslexia.

The Scrambled game forces you to flex your attention muscles by making you focus on images and sounds within competing stimuli.

Scrambled Game & Visual Perception


This brain function might be the easiest one for most people to understand. Light rays reach our pupils then go to the receptor cells in the retina. They are then processed in our brains where we can distinguish things like size, shape, color, light, contrast, position, etc.

Two prime examples of where Visual Perception is key is while someone is driving or anyone who is interested in creating art, designs, or crafts.

Having the images linked to the sounds in CogniFit’s Scrambled game is one way this visual brain function is exercised – especially at higher levels where the images are highly pixilated.

Scrambled Conclusion


If you’re new to brain games, Scrambled is one of the easier ones to ease you into your weekly exercise regiment. Also, everyone can benefit from the Sustained Attention aspect. However, don’t forget there is a slew of other games on the CogniFit site. So, don’t forget to check them out!

April 26, 2022
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
CogniFit NewsEditor's Picks

Mandala Game – Colors & Memory For Your Brain

by Robyn Hemington April 22, 2022
written by Robyn Hemington

Have you ever doodled while talking on the phone? How about colored in spaces of an agenda while you’re bored during a meeting? The desire to draw or color doesn’t go away just because we get older.

In fact, there are coloring books aimed at adults – all with the goal of helping someone nurture their creative side, combat stress, or just chill. And, after a quick internet search, you’ll also notice that one popular version is Mandala coloring books.

But here at CogniFit, we decided to take these beautiful images a step further.  Our Mandala brain game will help stimulate three key brain functions while still letting you be creative!

Let’s take a look at how the game works, what brain functions you’ll exercise, and a brief history of the mandala and why it’s so popular.

What Is the Mandala Brain Game?


At lower levels, things start off quite easy. You’ll be given a piece of a Mandala design, and all you have to do is click on the color palette on the left. Next, click the section of the design you want to fill in. You can even fill everything in one color if you want!

Also, if you don’t like what you’ve done, simply click on a new color and then select whatever part you wish to change. And don’t worry about the timer, there’s lots of room to play and experiment.

However, as the levels progress, things get trickier.

Instead of a free-range design, you’ll be shown a small section of a Mandala that is already colored in. A timer will count down and you need to memorize what colors go where. After, fill in the design as best you can. It could be something as simple as red versus blue. However, harder levels will make you change between different tints and shades of the same hue! Also, there is the occasional curveball where there are tiny sections that have been colored incorrectly.

A Quick Look at Its Beautiful Meaning & History


File:Hevajra Mandala.jpg

The word Mandala comes from Sanskrit for “circle” and holds a very deep meaning within Hindu and Buddhist cultures. They represent (externally) different aspects of the universe and are used (internally) as instruments of meditation and symbols of prayer. They found their way out of the East through people traveling the Silk Road.

Some amazing examples are made by monks – who spend weeks or months laying down grains of sand. After the design is complete, they destroy it (under the idea that nothing in the universe is permanent).

However, the modern use in “coloring books” has been found to be therapeutic because of their geometric designs. Recognizable objects (like cars or cartoon characters) come with subconscious expectations to make them “perfect” like the real thing. Coloring a Cinderella pumpkin in a scribbly blue could actually cause spikes of anxiety in some people.

Since a Mandal is just a collection of shapes, there is no right or wrong how to color the image. It frees the person from perfectionism benchmarks. It allows them to be creative and shed a certain level of anxiety because they are “present” in that moment. And, as we know, being present (sometimes called medication) can be incredibly healing.

How Does the Mandala Game Help the Brain?


Our CogniFit experts have tweaked this coloring exercise to help stimulate three important brain functions: Planning, Visual Perception, Visual Short-Term Memory. Let’s take a closer look at each of these and how they are used in our everyday lives.

Planning

Planning is one of our “Executive Functions” and a fundamental part of our cognitive makeup.

Executive functions are the set of cognitive skills necessary for controlling and self-regulating your behavior. It allows you to establish, maintain, supervise, correct, and carry out a plan of action.

Planning basically helps us know what our goals are and then decide the necessary steps in order to reach that goal. A simple example would be the end of our grocery trip. Our goal is to pack our food into bags. But we also need to plan how we will put everything in. We not only want everything to fit, but we also don’t want anything to be damaged. This is why we do things like put the eggs and bread on the very top.

An advanced example would be saving for a house. We know we need a down payment (the end goal), but we also need to plan how we will budget our expenses and pinch pennies where necessary.

Free Woman Painting Mandala Design on a White Paper Stock Photo

People with poor planning functions might have the following problems…

  • Have trouble making decisions
  • Can’t see the consequences of their actions
  • Can’t foresee how much time something will take
  • Difficulty prioritizing
  • Easily forgetful or distracted
  • Low productivity or trouble being creative
  • Don’t handle surprises or changes well
  • Adapt slower than others to new surroundings

As we can see, the idea of “planning” might sound like something simple and an ability everyone has. But the truth is that it’s a brain function that can be strong or ineffective – depending on the person.

Visual Perception

You’re reading this text right now, and it seems like a breeze. But the truth is there are SO many processes going on in your brain to make this happen.

  • First, the light hits our pupils and activates cells in our retinas
  • Next, the signals travel up the optic nerve and then do a criss-cross in our brain hemispheres
  • Finally, the information is sent to our visual cortex in the occipital lobe
  • This isn’t even touching on the fact we need to distinguish things like color, shape, size, space, relationship, etc.

This is obviously a watered-down version of what really goes on. So, if you want to learn more, you can check out this page.

There is a slew of issues that can come from having poor visual perception. But one example is Visual Agnosia. The two versions of this will have someone be able to understand the parts of an object, but not the whole – or vice versa.

Visual Short-Term Memory

VSTM is part of our Short-Term Memory (STM). Our brains take in what we see during a short period of time and then it can either go into Working Memory, Long-Term Memory, or just forgotten.

A super-simple example would be reading a new word while studying a second language, versus learning it by hearing it through a recording. However, it’s a brain function that we use in every part of our lives.

Some issues that come from impaired or damaged Visual Short-Term Memory can include Alzheimer’s or dyslexia. Some people who have suffered a stroke might also find this part of their brain altered.

The Brain Can Be Strengthened


All this information about what can happen to our brains can sound kind of scary. But don’t worry! Everyone has strengths and weaknesses when it comes to our minds. Also, the great news is that these functions can be exercised to become stronger – which is where the Mandala game comes into play!

Closing – The Mandala Game


Mandala is another of CogniFit’s fun games to help you strengthen your neural network. And with its different levels of difficulty, anyone can choose what levels best suit their comfort zones or needs. It’s definitely a game worth adding to your weekly routine!

April 22, 2022
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
Research & DiscoveriesWellness

Healthy Diet Experiment – Training People’s Brains To Eat Better

by Robyn Hemington February 7, 2022
written by Robyn Hemington

When it comes to food, many of us might feel like we’re spoiled for choice. A single product will have countless variations to entice customers – often advertising that they’re part of a healthy diet. However, what we don’t realize is that we’re walking through a nutritional minefield.

And it’s this minefield that causes so many weight issues. Here’s where an interesting pilot study published in the journal Nutrition & Diabetes comes into play.

THE FIRST PROBLEM


Some people think that sticking to a healthy diet is a simple thing – that all it takes is a little willpower. They also claim anyone who’s overweight or obese is “just being lazy.”

But the thing is, that’s just not true.

Firstly, our primitive minds are hardwired to seek out stuff that’s high in calories or whatever is harder to find in nature. That’s why we crave salts and fats – it gave our ancestors the energy to hunt and just stay alive.

THE SECOND PROBLEM


As if that’s not hard enough to fight against in the first place, we now live in a food environment that’s chock-full of things that are just fancy variations on fat, sugar, and salt. For many people, it can form a very real addiction – and this isn’t even including things like stress-eating.

If we boil it down, the food industry created an addiction so they could sell more products.

“We don’t start out in life loving french fries and hating, for example, whole-wheat pasta,” senior author Susan Roberts, director of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Energy Metabolism Laboratory, said in a statement. “This conditioning happens over time in response to eating – repeatedly – what is out there in the toxic food environment.”

Scientists know that once people are addicted to unhealthy foods, it is usually very hard to change their eating habits and get them to lose weight. They also know that high-calorie foods will activate the pleasure centers of the brain.

We crave the rush of dopamine, so we eat foods that give it to us.

THE HEALTHY DIET STUDY


The pilot study that took place in 2014 was one of the first that took a look at this connection through modern medical equipment. They wanted to see if there was indeed a neurological link – and even if it could be trained out of the brain.

The small pilot started with 13 obese men and women that fell within certain testing conditions…

  • Between 21 and 65 years old
  • Generally healthy
  • Have a certain high body mass index
  • No previous signs of claustrophobia
  • Employed by one of four worksites that housed the test
  • A doctor’s note supporting their participation in the test

After selection, part of the group would start with the program right away. The other group (the control group) would have to wait 6 months before receiving their “weight control intervention.”

So, what was the test?

The intervention group would use an adaptation of the “I” Diet by SB Roberts and BK Sargent. This particular plan puts a focus on portion control and low-glycemic foods. Protein and fiber targets were also pushed to the higher end of the recommended scales – with the idea that these “slow” burn foods would help people from being hungry during the day.

But this sounds like just a diet, right? Where’s the brain intervention part?

Well, the healthy diet wasn’t the only thing the intervention group got. They also received…

  • 19 support meetings over 24 weeks
  • Individualized emails from specialized nutritionists
  • Specific menus for an energy reduction goal of 500–1000k cal per day
  • Healthy recipe ideas
  • A suggested timetable of evenly spaced-out meals
  • A list of “free” foods to curb hunger cravings

In essence, they were given a lot of positive support to help them stay on their healthy meal plans. The control group, however, would eventually get the meal plan but would have to be waitlisted for six months.

THE SCIENCE PART


Both groups went through the same tests.

All participants also got a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scan before and after the six months were up. While in the machine, they were shown 40 food and 40 non-food control-image cues.

The food cues included both high- and low-calorie options. The non-food cues were images that looked similar to the food cues but were quite not food (e.g. a wallet or pencils).

The researchers focused their scans on each participant’s striatum.

This is the area that’s often associated with the brain’s dopamine-rich reward processes. So, if the support system had created any changes in the way the test subjects viewed food, it would be there.

What was the result?

They found significantly higher average amounts of activation in this area for the low-calorie food images than high-calorie foods, but only in participants who had already been through the I Diet program. The control participants showed the opposite: more activation in the striatum for high-calorie foods.

This suggests that changing what we eat eventually changes what we crave.


FINAL NOTES


However, there are a few things to keep in mind. First, the study was done in 2014 – and there have been other studies since then that have probably built on this concept. Also, technology had continued to improve so further results might have found deeper data.

“There is much more research to be done here, involving many more participants, long-term follow-up and investigating more areas of the brain,” Prof Roberts said.  “But we are very encouraged that the weight-loss program appears to change what foods are tempting to people.”

Secondly, this is by no means a personal guide – simply a scientific insight on the power of the brain (for both negative and positive). The world continues to be a minefield of unhealthy choices and not everyone can get the support necessary to “change their brains.”

Also, things like gastric bypass surgery aren’t sure fixes for any weight problems.

This is because there is a percentage of people that will still gain the weight back afterward. The Boston researchers point out another important fact – that these kinds of “fixes” take away the enjoyment of food instead of making healthier food something we would crave.

Still, the results are promising.

February 7, 2022
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
Mindfulness

What Is Mindfulness? There’s More Than One Method

by Robyn Hemington January 28, 2022
written by Robyn Hemington

You might have heard the term “mindfulness” thrown in the last few years. And with its origins resting deep within the roots of Buddhism, it can seem like an impossible thing for a normal person to practice – like something that only old men with long beards and third-eye connections can do. But that’s just not true.

The concept is rather simple and doesn’t have to be done on a yoga mat. Let’s look at what it is, at its core, really is as well as different ways people can try to integrate it into their lives.

REASONS IT CAN BE INTIMIDATING


Mindfulness is tied to Zen, Vipaśyanā (from Sanskrit), and Tibetan ways of meditation.

If we lift an exact phrase from Wikipedia, it’s “how past, present and future moments arise and cease as momentary sense impressions and mental phenomena.” This awareness of the present is considered the first step in the journey towards enlightenment.

It was a 2500-year-old tradition that felt like standing at the bottom of a huge mountain. So, when the idea came over to the West, it seemed like an exotic and nearly impossible thing to get into – especially with the mile-a-minute lifestyle people now have.

Most people spend their lives on a sort of autopilot. We shut out what’s around us (sometimes from stress or just an overwhelming bombardment on the senses (think how many advertisements alone we see per day). Life can get hard, and repetition can become a familiar safety net.  However, that repetition and internal telescope can also bring lots of negatives.

According to the American Psychological Association (APA.org, 2012), mindfulness is:

“…a moment-to-moment awareness of one’s experience without judgment. In this sense, mindfulness is a state and not a trait. While it might be promoted by certain practices or activities, such as meditation, it is not equivalent to or synonymous with them.”

American Psychological Association

We miss things, ruminate on bad moments, and cut ourselves off from growth.

Finally, when there comes a chance to make big changes, most people shy away from the chance (for many different reasons, which we won’t get into here). But the point is, when the mindful movement emerged, many people thought it was an impossible thing to do.

Mindefulness

MINDFULNESS IN A NUTSHELL


All someone has to do is to be fully present in the moment.

We are aware of our surroundings, but we don’t react to them. For example, the air conditioner is running in the next room, but we aren’t focusing on how much the electricity bill is going to be next month. We feel our bodies but don’t let our brains connect to insecurities (and forgive ourselves if it does).

All humans are already able to do this. Some just might be better than others or have found an avenue that works best for them.

FUN FACT – to do this, you don’t need to change at all. There’s no right or wrong way.

THE KINDS OF MINDFULNESS


BREATHING

The person focuses attention on each breath in and out as well as the sensations that come with it. This way isn’t necessarily the easiest for beginners, those with high anxiety, or anyone who is easily distracted. But that’s not to say that beginners shouldn’t give it a try.

BODY SCAN

The attention is on each part of the body, from head to toe. If you’ve ever tried a meditation app or similar YouTube video, chances are you’ve tried this. It often comes with trying to relax each part of the body you focus on – which does wonders because we often are clenching muscles we don’t even realize.

SELF LOVE

It sounds wonderful, but anyone who has significant insecurities might find it hard to cast love towards themselves. That’s why this kind of mindfulness often starts with “sending” love to someone else that you care for, maybe even the world itself. You eventually learn to turn this inwards.

OBSERVATION

You are allowed to notice any thoughts that come into your head. Then, you give them a “positive” or “negative” label and if it’s about yourself or others. But then, you let them go.

MERGING

Is there an activity you do that you just get absorbed in? Time just flies by (and no, zoning out during the drive home doesn’t count).  Maybe you love sports. Perhaps crafts. How about cleaning? As long as your brain is focused on what you’re doing at that moment, and not on external things or stressors, it totally counts as mindfulness!

DISTRACTION

Sometimes the other methods just don’t work. Maybe we’re too deep in an ocean of stress. Perhaps the other ways just haven’t clicked. That’s okay! A sort of “baby step” towards mindfulness can be a simple distraction game.

FOR EXAMPLE – Start with the number “1” and find one of an object around you. But the tricky part is there can only be one (Highlander reference aside). So, if there are two fire hydrants, it doesn’t count. If there are three red cars, you can’t pick one. There can only be a single thing within your view. After you find it, move on to “2”.

Besides having countless more adaptations of the 6 examples above, there’s another key suggestion – you don’t have to stick with just one. Life brings countless changes and it stands to reason that we should bend with them. So, if one method hasn’t been working for a while, then just switch it up. It’s also not expected to commit to one style per “session.”

WHAT THE SCIENCE WORLD IS DOING


Western medicine loves to delve into the nitty-gritty details of what makes something tick – and mindfulness is no exception.

“Randomized controlled trials” (which are apparently one of the best kinds of studies) that targeted mindfulness only totaled in at 1 … yes, just one … from 1995 to 1997 (around the world). Then, from 2004 to 2006 there were only 11. But from 2013 to 2015 the number of trials skyrockets to 216. Since then, it’s only grown.

This is thanks to, in part, one person of note – Jon Kabat-Zinn, who launched an MBSR program (Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction) at the University of Massachusetts Medical School in 1979.

“The awareness that arises from paying attention, on purpose, in the present moment and non-judgmentally”

(Kabat-Zinn, in Purser, 2015)

DIFFERENT OPINIONS ON MINDFULNESS


There are always people who will disagree. And mindfulness is no exception.

Some will say that there should be no technology involved, that it should only be taught by a trained medication guru, that the only experience should be the lack of thought instead of a focus on what you’re doing at that moment, and that the journey should only be towards enlightenment.

Just ignore these, and you do you!


WANT ANOTHER WAY TO DE-STRESS? TRY NEURIVA

A Nootropic Brain Support Supplement That Helps With…

January 28, 2022
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
CogniFit News

Melody Mayhem: Brain Training Has Never Sounded So Fun

by Scott Wilkinson November 12, 2021
written by Scott Wilkinson

This month, we’re featuring an exciting musical brain training game called Melody Mayhem. This music matching game is a fun and entertaining way to help boost some of your most important cognitive skills!

ABOUT THE GAME


The goal of this game is to match pairs of music players based on the melody.

Have you ever played the memory game where you flip over sets of cards looking for pairs of images? If yes, then you already know the basics of how Melody Mayhem works. However, just like all of our brain games, Melody Mayhem offers fun and exciting challenges. Even the most advanced players will find something to challenge them!

CogniFit’s team of neuropsychologists has developed this exciting twist on this timeless memory puzzle. It’s entertaining as well as important for training vital cognitive skills. Doesn’t that just sound like music to your ears!?

HOW TO PLAY MELODY MAYHEM


When you first start playing Melody Mayhem, the first few levels are simple. A handful of colorful musical players appear on the screen. All you need to do is match them together by finding pairs that play the same melody.

While this may seem simple at first, players will quickly discover the truth. They will need to focus and listen very carefully if they want to advance into the harder levels.

Melody Mayhem instructions
Melody Mayhem instructions

The first time users start the game, they will be in “free play” mode. Here, they can choose whatever level of difficulty they prefer. There are 6 unique levels that each have their own increasing set of challenges. This gives players a huge amount of variety in gameplay.

Melody Mayhem easy difficulty setting
Melody Mayhem easy difficulty setting

If a player chooses the lowest difficulty level, they will be presented with a small number of music players. Each of these players has its own unique color. At this stage, finding musical players should be fairly straightforward. Especially since the tunes in each pair will be exactly the same.

However, as the player advances into higher difficulty modes, things can take a drastic turn.

Melody Mayhem max difficulty setting
Melody Mayhem max difficulty setting

It can get quite challenging…

For example, if a player decides to play on the highest difficulty level, things will be very different. There were be more music players and they won’t have different colors. This makes it harder to remember which was which, since removing the shade will also remove a cognitive helper.

But that’s not all. Players will have to listen very closely because several music players could be playing the same tune but using a different instrument.

melody mayhem players
The goal of the game is to find the pairs of melodies and match them correctly.
Melody mayhem increasing difficulty
As you level up, the complexity of the music and the music players will increase.
Try not to pair them incorrectly to avoid losing points.
Try not to pair them incorrectly to avoid losing points.

THE SCIENCE BEHIND MELODY MAYHEM


This exciting game helps stimulate the cognitive abilities related to Phonological Short-term Memory, Auditory Perception, and Recognition.

Phonological Short-term Memory

icon

Phonological short-term memory (or echoic memory), is the part of our sensory memory that is in charge of all of the short-term information related to sounds that we get from our environment.

It’s our brain’s ability to record phonological sound stimuli before being processed.

The stimuli we record through PSTM automatically goes to the central auditory processor. This section is in charge of changing the electric signals from sounds into mental concepts. Think of it as a type of ‘sound image’ which we can use to keep in our brains for a short period of time. The sound image can be only be replayed during a short period of time after getting the auditory stimuli.

Where does this all happen?

Sensory memory is measured in the primary auditory cortex. This phonological memory storage area extends through different areas of the brain. This is because it requires the use of many different processes. The majority of these brain regions are located in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) – which is also where executive and attentional control are monitored.

Phonological short-term memory helps us to process information such as the name of someone we just met, a telephone number we hear, or the sound of someone’s voice.

Auditory Perception

ear icon

Auditory perception is the ability to receive and interpret information that reached our ears through “audible frequency waves.” These are transmitted through the air or other means. There is a series of processes our brain follows in order to perceive the sounds around us:

  • Receive Information: When an object vibrates, the waves produced by this action are transmitted by the air, etc. For example, when a person speaks, their vocal chords vibrate. When these waves reach the inner ear, certain cells activate.
  • Information Transmission: These cells produce a signal that is transmitted through different nuclei until it finally reaches the medial geniculate nucleus in the thalamus.
  • Information Manipulation: Finally, this auditory information is sent to the auditory cortex in the temporal lobes. The information is manipulated and sent to the rest of the brain, so you can interact with it.

We use this everyday…

For example, you answer it and hear your mom on the other end. You’re able to quickly and easily know many things. Such as recognizing her voice, understanding what she’s saying, and hearing her emotional state. All of this happens in just the first second of the call.

Answering the phone might seem like a simple task. However, it’s actually very complex and requires the use of a number of brain areas. All of these areas specialize in auditory perception and the recognition of its “sub-components.”

Recognition

letter R icon

Recognition is the brain’s ability to identify stimuli. These can include things like situations, places, people, or objects that you have seen before. Our brain can recover all this stored information and then compare it to what’s in front of us.

This is an important cognitive function because it’s one of the functions that make it possible to perform any task efficiently and carefully.

Recognition is a type of memory or “information recovery”. It accesses past information – but only if we’ve been exposed to these stimuli before.

We have “false positives.”

A false positive may happen when you “identify” a stimulus that you have never seen before. For example, when you believe that you recognize a restaurant that you have never been to before. On the other side, a “false negative” is when you are unable to recognize a stimulus that you have seen before. For example, you can’t remember having met a friend’s friend.

This means that good recognition is the ability to recognize places, objects, or people that you have seen before (no false negatives). Also, you must be able to identify any elements that you have not seen before (no false positives). Cognitive training can help improve recognition and decrease the number of false-negative and false-positive recognitions.

Are you ready to test your ear and train your skills in Phonological Short-term Memory, Auditory Perception, and Recognition?

Play Melody Mayhem Now!

We hope you enjoy this cognitive stimulation brain game and would love to hear your thoughts on this or any of our other games! If you want to share with us, send us a message on social media.

And don’t forget to keep an eye out for the next exciting game!

November 12, 2021
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
CogniFit NewsResearch & Discoveries

Childhood Obesity Study – The Effects of Cognitive Training

by Scott Wilkinson November 5, 2021
written by Scott Wilkinson

With childhood obesity quickly becoming a serious health issue globally, eating healthy is one of the best habits we can develop, and becomes increasingly important as we age.

However, our relationship to food, especially foods high in sugar, fat, and carbohydrates begins early in life and can be quite difficult to change once we develop unhealthy eating habits.

New research is looking into the role that “executive functions” (described below) play in breaking these unhealthy habits, and how cognitive training can benefit individuals with childhood obesity.

A team of researchers has developed a new scientific study based around the concept of using targeted cognitive training to improve executive functions in individuals with childhood obesity. The study will look into whether “executive function training in children with obesity can improve food choices, produce cognitive changes, as well as improve emotional state and quality of life.”

Prevention of childhood obesity, and by extension the related physical and mental health problems, should therefore be a priority for the scientific community.

The scientific literature shows that individuals with obesity often present cognitive deficits, especially in areas of executive functions. Luckily, due to the process of brain plasticity, cognitive abilities such as our executive functions can be improved with targeted training.

What Are Executive Functions?


Executive functions play a critical role in our ability to make difficult choices, especially choices related to the reward and pleasure centers in the brain. Executive Functions are the set of higher-level cognitive functions and mental skills that combine multiple cognitive abilities such as working memory, planning, shifting, inhibition, and more.

We rely heavily on these skills each and every day to help us manage our daily life, overcome obstacles, and adapt to new situations and environments. When our executive functions are not working to their full potential, we can find that it is difficult to stay focused, follow directions, handle emotions, or make difficult choices such as choosing to cook a healthy meal instead of ordering a pizza to be delivered.

Why Is This Childhood Obesity Study Important?


Childhood obesity ranks among the most serious public health challenges of the 21st century.

We have seen an alarming increase in the rate of obesity, especially in individuals with lower socioeconomic status. Overweight and obese children are much more likely to stay obese into adulthood and more likely to develop noncommunicable diseases like type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases at a younger age.

Childhood Obesity Can Be Prevented. Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash

But childhood obesity affects more than only the physical health of the individual. It can also lead to serious long-term complications such as psychosocial and psychological problems (i.e., depression and low self-esteem).

Prevention of childhood obesity, and by extension the related physical and mental health problems, should therefore be a priority for the scientific community, especially those interested in public and individual health outcomes.

While various weight-loss programs in children have shown some success, the benefits of these programs are limited, to say the least, and tend to lose effectiveness over the long term.

The team behind the research is hoping to find more permanent solutions, stating their desire for “a better comprehension of vulnerability factors related to weight gain [to gain] valuable information for designing more effective treatments.”

How Will The Study Be Carried Out?


The team has designed a unique research intervention where study participants, aged 9 to 12 years, will be tracked by an endocrinologist who will assess the participants’ height, weight, blood pressure, and other factors relating to their weight and overall health. Participants will then be divided into control and experimental groups and assigned activity trackers to measure physical activity and sleep patterns during the training period.

Participants will be assigned one of three cognitive training programs.

The first group will be assigned a program that trains only working memory, the second will be assigned personalized Executive Function cognitive training from CogniFit. The final group, which will serve as the control, will be assigned non-adaptive training with a minimal cognitive component.

This childhood obesity study team hopes that “children with obesity undergoing the cognitive training program will perform better than active controls in cognitive measures, take better food-related decisions, and consequently, show changes in brain connectivity, emotional state, and QoL measures at the end of the intervention and during the follow-up at 12 months.”

We are looking forward to seeing the results of the research project once the team has been able to evaluate the “impact of executive functions training in BMI, food choice, and cognition in children with obesity as well as in their emotional state and QoL”.

November 5, 2021
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
CogniFit News

Syndi Health Adds CogniFit as Top App for 10m+ Students

by Scott Wilkinson November 4, 2021
written by Scott Wilkinson

Millions of users across the UK, US, and Canada rely on Syndi Health to recommend telehealth, wellness, and digital therapeutics tools based on individual needs. CogniFit is excited to be included in the list of recommended wellness tools.

But what exactly does this partnership bring to the table? Let’s take a closer look at this unique platform and how both companies are making strides towards mental health being something to care for rather than shun.

WHAT IS SYNDI?


“Syndi Health is a digital health recommendation and reimbursement platform that uses passive smartphone monitoring, known as digital phenotyping*, to evaluate the real-world efficacy of mobile health services, and machine-learning to provide personalized recommendations to drive adoption and engagement of digital health apps – starting with mental health apps.”

That description is quite a mouthful, but very easy to break down.

Syndi Health

Basically, Syndi monitors your phone, gives you surveys and tests, and then recommends different apps that will lend a hand in whatever health issues you’re struggling with.

Phenotype = The observable characteristics, at the physical, morphologic, or biochemical level, of an individual, as determined by the genotype and environment.

It all started with founders Ben Lakey and Jorge Alexander.

Both had their own unpleasant journeys through the maze that is mental health support. It wasn’t just the stigma that still surrounds this kind of common ailment that they found frustrating. It was the complete absence of a reliable digital system. Yes, there are TONS of apps that promise all kinds of wellbeing. However, they don’t come with any kind of clinical backing.

This became the push that birthed Syndi.

REACHING OUT TO UNIVERSITIES


Now, one major slice of their user base is students.

“The free Syndi University platform aims to empower students to take control of managing their mental health and creates personalized recommendations for digital health and wellness services to meet their needs.”

Users start by completing Syndi Health’s clinically validated Digital Clinical Questionnaire surveys. After the assessment is done, the program will make a custom report of digital tools and other resources. All of these are specifically tailored to that user.

But it doesn’t end there.

The app can continually monitor the user’s cognitive and wellness scores in real-time and tweak recommendations as things change – with all the suggestions being legitimate health services of some sort.

But there’s a flip side that makes this app far more powerful than it appears on the surface. Health professionals can also use the app for accessing referrals, monitoring their patients/audience, and making sure they are paired with the right people. This way they can maximize their time and care.

COGNIFIT & SYNDI HEALTH PARTNERSHIP


CogniFit on Syndi Health app

In 2021, CogniFit was put on the “top recommended list” for digital health and wellness tools – specifically for those who connect through UNiDAYS.

The UNiDAYS service helps students find the best deals and savings from top brands, attractions, and services that are eager to build long-term relationships with younger crowds. It allows Syndi Health to connect to millions of students and provide unique, personalized wellness recommendations based on individual user profiles.

And while the addition was something for CogniFit to celebrate, there was a much larger picture beyond the power-house partnership.

High school is already hard enough to navigate. But going through university can be even harder on some young minds.

Many have moved away from home. A large majority need to work a job alongside their studies so they can not only pay their tuition but also put a roof over their head and food in their fridge. Next, add the stress of exams and an unknown future that’s ever-looming – from an unstable job market to unaffordable housing.

Finally, we add another layer of instability with the “new norms” that COVID brought with it.

In short, lockdowns and other restrictions are stressful for everyone, but each group has its own difficulties. Students are no exception. And it can be even harder to cope if they don’t have a support network, or worse, a family that has the outdated thinking that mental health is only about “crazy people.”

Being able to have trusted digital and in-person resources with the click of a button can be a huge help to some people.

This is why Syndi and CogniFit’s pairing is quite special as well as being something both sides are quite proud of.

“We are excited to be included in the list of recommended tools and look forward to being able to provide our services to new users and help support them on their wellness journey.”

CogniFit
November 4, 2021
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
Wellness

Overcoming Fear – 20 Essential Tips

by Scott Wilkinson October 27, 2021
written by Scott Wilkinson

Fear can keep us safe, but it can also keep us from living life to its fullest. Discover the cause of this emotion and what prevents us from overcoming fear. In addition, we will give you twenty tips to help you along the way.

WHAT IS FEAR?



What is fear? Fear is a basic emotion that is meant to warn us of imminent risk or danger. It overcomes us so that we do not ignore nearby threats. Have you ever been paralyzed by a situation that terrifies you? Have you been so panicky that you ran away before thinking about the consequences? In many situations, this is the most logical way to react.  

But it is necessary to differentiate fear from symptoms of anxiety. The first concept appears in relation to a specific and imminent event—like a stranger who seems to follow us on an empty street. On the other hand, anxiety is a more vague and nonspecific emotion that arises when we think of less well-defined circumstances. One example of this is the dread we feel when we think about our professional future or when people criticize us.

Fear is an adaptive reaction to dangers of a physical or psychological nature. However, it does not always occur in the face of real difficulty. Sometimes it can be due to certain cognitive biases. The intensity of fear can vary from the absolute lack of alarm to a state of complete panic. In fact, this emotion can turn into an absolute nightmare.

WHEN DOES IT BECOME A PHOBIA?



When fear of a specific stimulus is excessive or disproportionate, it can become a phobia. A phobia is a psychological disorder, while fear is a common and healthy emotion.

There are many different phobias; fear of heights or clowns, fear of getting old or dying, and many more. Although the source that leads to these reactions changes, they all worsen the well-being of people who suffer from these disorders, seriously interfering in some or all areas of their lives. Can you imagine being so afraid of going out on the street that you feel compelled to live locked up at home?

Selective Focus Photography of Brown Spider
Credit: Pexels

It is not necessary to have a phobia for fear to diminish our well-being. These psychological disorders can make it difficult for us to perform even the most basic everyday tasks. In this article, you will find recommendations to overcoming fear regardless of your level of terror and the object of your fears.

WHY DO WE FEEL FEAR?



Fear is an emotion common to all of us; it accompanies us in each life cycle phase. It forces us to react quickly and protect ourselves from any danger. Noticing a high physiological activation that pressures us to fight or flee when we climb a rocky cliff that is just a little too high is tremendously adaptive. It motivates us to survive.

Two main theories explain how we acquire fears. The first, classical conditioning, states that if we associate elements (snakes, high places, etc.) with harmful events (injuries, anxiety, etc.), we will establish an association between both stimuli and acquire a conditioned response of fear.

On the other hand, according to Bandura’s theory of social learning, we learn through vicarious learning. That is, after observing certain models (the neighbor, an actor, etc.), we internalize their behavior and imitate it. If we witness a wasp sting our little brother one day and we look at his panic reaction, every time we see that annoying insect, we may flee in terror. According to this theory, we are active when deciding whether we want to adopt certain behaviors or not, although it is not always easy.

Fear also causes us positive feelings. We like to have our heart rate increase, feel the tension in the air, stay stuck to the edge of our seats, and scream when we watch a horror movie from the comfort of the sofa or when we get on a roller coaster. In fact, we seek these feelings when we trust that we will maintain our security.

We need to learn to manage this emotion from childhood. Still, you can start to fear certain stimuli at any age. On the other hand, some people are more likely to feel this emotion than others. Likewise, our past experiences are fundamental when it comes to explaining how we deal with reality. Regardless of our case, the main thing is that we know that it is never too late to overcome fear.

20 TIPS TO OVERCOME FEAR



In this section, we will give you twenty recommendations that you can easily apply to your routine. The most important thing is that you trust that fear is within us; nothing and no one can force us to feel it. This may be difficult to think about when faced with an all-important test, but we are responsible for our own personal growth. Overcoming fear is possible with a bit of planning and willpower.

1. DON’T IGNORE THEM ALL

As we have previously commented, fear is a gift that favors our survival. We can also observe it in animals when faced with serious risks. Fortunately, our body alerts us when a threat is approaching. Can you imagine not being upset if you saw a tiger in your living room? Learning to live with this emotion is essential. As much as fear plays tricks on us, we must be grateful for it from time to time.

2. KNOW YOURSELF

Self-evaluation increases our well-being. It allows us to understand elementary aspects of what we feel or how we want to be in order to act accordingly. It is not necessary for us to obsessively explore what the root of our fear of snakes was. But defining the stimuli that cause us unpleasant reactions will help us devise effective strategies to deal with them appropriately in the future.

3. ACKNOWLEDGE YOUR FEARS

You are human. Acting as if your fear doesn’t exist is highly counterproductive. It does not make you any less strong for feeling this emotion. It does not matter if the object of your fear is unusual or embarrassing you, it is sure to be understandable, and there are people who can support you. Our fear will not just disappear, no matter how much we ignore it. Accepting it is the first step to overcoming it.

A Woman Overcoming Her Fear of Snakes
Credit: Pexels

4. RATIONALIZE THEM

The fear of fire is perfectly understandable if we are facing a fire. However, it would be acting illogically if we think that the house may burn every time we turn on the stove. Thinking about the probabilities of these events occurring and acting accordingly will allow us to get away from unpleasant cognitive processes.

5. OBSERVE OTHERS OVERCOMING FEAR

There are relatively frequent fears such as fear of fire or seeing blood. But, it does not matter if what causes your panic reactions are not common. While there may be differences in intensity, the emotion of fear produces a similar feeling in all of us. Observing how people can coexist with this emotion and face it is beneficial for us.

6. NUTURE SELF-ESTEEM

Some fears, like the fear of interacting with others, can be tremendously frustrating for the people who have to deal with them. This difficulty can negatively affect their self-esteem and generate thoughts such as “I am a failure and incompetent” or “no one is going to love a softie like me.” In fact, it can cause cognitive biases that make life bitter, making us uneasy at the slightest trifle.

Sometimes these beliefs about oneself are the cause of deep discomfort that can trigger serious psychological problems. Fears are not incompatible with self-esteem. We must bear in mind that anyone can be afraid, that we are human, and that we are competent enough to find the best solution to any adversity.

7. PRACTICE SELF CARE

Obviously, pampering our mental and physical health will positively impact all areas of our lives. Adopting healthy habits will allow us to feel great and increase our self-efficacy (as long as we do not become overly obsessed with working out or losing weight). But a healthy body leads to a healthy mind, which can be better at dealing with stress and anxiety from fear.

8. DON’T AVOID THE OBJECT OF YOUR FEAR

If we do not take a plane out of fear of flying or never try anything new because we are terrified of failure, we chain ourselves to a mediocre life. We will be unnecessarily self-restricting ourselves. Simply thinking about getting close to what distresses you may cause you powerful uneasiness. Avoidance is probably satisfying for you in the short term, but it only maintains these reactions. It is essential that you face your fears.

9. TRY RELAXATION TECHNIQUES

When this emotion paralyzes us, and we feel an irrepressible urge to flee, we can use techniques to stay calm, such as breathing exercises or counting slowly until we feel better. In this way, we will reduce the symptoms of fear and distract ourselves from negative thoughts.

10. SET SMALL CHALLENGES

Overcoming fear takes time and progressive effort. We can start by imagining the conjunctures that scare us. For example, if playing sports scares you, you can begin by imagining yourself bouncing a ball. Visualizing yourself performing a behavior that produces tension will allow you to gain confidence.

It may be difficult at first, but you will increasingly be able to see yourself performing that action in practice. This is the basis of exposure therapies, which gradually present stimuli that can provoke fear reactions to the patient so that they can learn to control their emotions. For example, a person who has a problem with snakes may begin by looking at a picture of a small snake until they find themselves next to a king cobra.

11. DON’T FACE YOUR WORST FEAR DIRECTLY

It is admirable that you decide to go through the hard slug of overcoming fear, but it is not advisable to do it abruptly. Exposure to fear requires a progressive approach and is often professionally guided. In situations such as touching a tarantula or singing on stage in front of a thousand people, the abrupt confrontation with fear can be counterproductive and trigger adverse reactions.

Hornet Macro Photography
Credit: Pexels

12. STAY MOTIVATED

Focus on the rewards that overcoming fear will bring you. For example, if you are afraid of cars, reflect on how pleasant it must be to take a long trip without depending on someone else and how wonderful it would be to take an excursion you have always wanted. It isn’t easy to concentrate on this when sitting in the car. But if we think about the prize, we will not imagine catastrophes or get distracted by other negative thoughts.

13. REWARD PROGRESS

Imagine that you are deeply overwhelmed by elevators, and you dislike the thought that you may get stuck or the elevator may fall while you are inside. The day you get on one without getting upset, you deserve to treat yourself. You choose if you prefer to buy yourself a bag of jelly beans or go to the movies. The important thing is that you recognize your merits and keep the desire to keep moving forward.

14. RECORD PROGRESS

Keeping a record of your evolution will allow you to look at your notebook every time your mood declines, whether due to a situation that has caused you fear or due to any circumstance. It will allow you to feel proud of your progress and raise your self-efficacy. Progress in overcoming fear is not always linear; there may be relapses. Still, it is possible to improve with perseverance and determination. Also, writing about your emotions will help you vent.

15. LEAN ON LOVED ONES

Maybe your friends or family are not as afraid as you. Communicating how driving in fog makes you feel or talking to the people you rely on for support can make it easier to deal with overcoming fear. Likewise, it is likely that your friends and family have gone through similar experiences and can give you valuable recommendations. Although simply with their affection and time, you will perceive that your resources to face any adversity increase.

16. TALK TO PEOPLE WITH THE SAME FEARS

Finding people who go through the same situation as us is beneficial in practically all areas of life. If we believe that what happens to us is unusual and we feel misunderstood, or it is difficult for us to talk about these problems, finding ourselves in front of another person who has to face the same circumstances (or communicating with them virtually) will allow us to open up and share experiences that enable us to acquire strategies that would not have occurred to us otherwise.

17. DON’T BE AFRIAD OF CRITICISM

Sometimes, regardless of whether our fear is riding a bicycle, speaking a new language, or falling to the ground, we do not take the critical steps to face our difficulties due to the criticism of others if we stop trying or make a mistake. We all hit speedbumps at times. Most likely, the rest of the people are not as aware of us as we think. And if someone talks poorly of us, we lose more by avoiding our goals than by listening to their negative comments.

18. TAKE ADVANTAGE OF TECHNOLOGY

Technological advances enable us in many ways to overcome our fears. There are already therapies that use virtual reality to safely and effectively expose patients to the object of their panic. Still, you don’t have to go that far. We can download apps designed for this purpose.

For example, there are apps designed for people who feel terrified when traveling by plane. These applications provide data on travel safety or offer exercises that reduce anxiety. It is also possible to find tools to help children overcome the fear of the dark through games or to help us overcome the fear of speaking in public.

19. DON’T TRUST JUST ANY SOURCE

There is a remarkable amount of information on the Internet without context on matters that increase our fears (and on all subjects, in general). For example, if you are deeply burdened by disease or attacks, ignore most alarmist and ill-advised data. This commotion of inconsistent references makes it difficult for us to understand particular topics sometimes and prompts us to make the wrong decisions.

20. SEEK PROFESSION HELP IF NEEDED

Overcoming fear is not always entirely up to us. Suppose you have a problem such as a phobia that makes you unable to progress in various areas of your life. In that case, it is recommended that you consult an experienced professional such as a psychologist or psychiatrist.

You shouldn’t be ashamed to ask for help at this level. Many people go to specialists and make great strides with their problems. Therapies to overcome fear are practical and are under continuous review.

October 27, 2021
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
Wellness

The Importance of Morning Rituals: Q&A With Wellness Experts

by Scott Wilkinson October 22, 2021
written by Scott Wilkinson

Having the right morning habits can set us up for success throughout the rest of our day. But what does it take? How do healthy morning habits influence productivity, energy, and emotions? Whether we know it or now, each of us already has our own set of morning behaviors. In this article, we will explore the importance of morning rituals, look at practical examples, and see how our Wellness Experts start off their own days.

The phrase ‘so-and-so must have woken up on the wrong side of the bed’ is a perfect example of how important the first moments of our day can be. Whether we finish the day with plenty of energy or hit the bed exhausted and stressed often depends on the choices we make in the first hours of the day.

And, while it’s not necessary to follow the exact same steps day after day, building healthy morning habits and following a morning ritual can help us to have more energy, less stress, and feel more fulfilled.

But what exactly do healthy morning habits look like? Let’s take a look:

HOW DIFFERENT ACTIVITES AFFECT OUR DAY


A morning ritual is built from a combination of choices that affect us throughout the entire day. From the time we wake up, to what we eat, to the decisions at work, every choice we make in the morning is an opportunity to set ourselves up for success.
Learn to Love Your Alarm

As much as you might hate the sound of your alarm in the morning, sticking to a schedule and waking up at the same time every day helps your body’s internal clock. It needs to be trained to know when it’s time to transition out of deep sleep cycles and into a lighter cycle. This makes it easier to wake up without feeling groggy. And yes, this includes on the weekends!

A Healthy Breakfast for a Sharp Mind

It’s often said that breakfast is the most important meal of the day… and this isn’t just some marketing technique invented by companies trying to sell you more bacon and eggs. Having a healthy breakfast can give your body and brain plenty of nutrients and energy to make it through the day without feeling tired. Including healthy items high in fiber can also help you to feel fuller for longer. This makes it easier to resist those unhealthy snacks that might be sitting in the office breakroom.

Proper Personal Hygiene to Start the Day Fresh

While it might seem like common sense that showering and brushing your teeth every morning is a good habit, personal hygiene goes far beyond simply making sure you fix your bedhead. Starting the day with a fresh shower, adequate grooming, and getting dressed appropriately can help you feel confident and calm.

Working Out For More Energy

Our bodies have evolved over millions of years to be efficient with how we use and store energy. The thing is… our body’s main mechanism for ‘efficient’ use of energy is to put our bodily systems on standby when they aren’t in use. This allows it to have plenty of energy left over when we need it – systems like digestion, healing, and more. But when we work out regularly, our bodies know that at some point soon, we will be expending lots of energy. So instead of shutting down, it keeps things idling at a slow burn throughout the whole day. This means you have more available energy.

Practicing Mindfulness for Balanced

Meditation, journaling, breathing exercises, any kind of mindfulness exercise can help you to feel more relaxed, balanced, and in control. By spending a few minutes each day organizing your thoughts and emotions, it can become much easier to deal with stress and unexpected events.

OUR WELNESS EXPERTS SHARE THEIR DAY


But there is no single morning ritual that works for everyone. Each person is different and has unique physical and mental strengths and weaknesses to consider. While one person might prefer to exercise first thing in the morning, another may find that just doesn’t work as well for them.

To highlight the importance of morning rituals, we have asked the hosts of our Video Coach sessions about how they start their day. Also, how do morning rituals affect their mental, physical, and emotional performance?

Here’s what our resident Wellness Experts had to say:

Brendan: Starting the Day with Balance

Video Coach - Brendan
CogniFit Video Coach – Brendan

Q: What does “Morning Ritual” mean to you?

“Because “neurons that fire together wire together”, I focus on establishing a series of habits that benefit me and help reinforce important cognitive areas. If you create a ritual of beneficial actions that you carry out every day, it becomes effortless rather than an act of will. So, we carefully design a series of habits. They are the habits that are most useful.”

Q: What is the very first thing you do when you wake up?

“I meditate using the Zazen technique. After that I have my coffee and check my plan for the day, which I make the night before. I then have breakfast and take time to watch videos connected to my job. This means I watch a lot of psychology and philosophy. I will generally work for an hour or so and then I go to the gym. I do boxing most days. After that, I will typically do Qigong for half an hour and then head back home. After than I’m working all day. Of course, after that comes the evening ritual – Another meditation and I plan my next day (on my google calendar).”

Q: What is your perfect weekday breakfast to get you ready for a productive day? What would be your perfect weekend breakfast for a day full of outdoor activities?

“I like this question. During the week, I alternate between oatmeal (filled with fruit) and fruit. At the weekend, it’s one day fruit and one day… wait for it… bacon and eggs. Hey, it’s only once a week.”

Q: Do you check the news, listen to podcasts, or read books as part of a morning ritual?

“I used to be big on the news, but I decided that it was becoming an unhealthy habit. So much ‘news’ is designed to make you feel angry or stressed about the topic de jour, so I gave it up. I do however enjoy listening to Podcasts as part of my morning ritual. There are many podcasters or youtubers that offer great material. But I always focus on listening to or watching content that gives me a step up in my job or that gives me a perspective that can be applied to the betterment of life. As for books, that certainly COULD be a part of a morning routine but for me that is something I prefer to do during my commute on public transport or as part of my ‘wind down’ time in the early evening.”

Q: How does your morning ritual change from weekdays to weekends?

Well, I like to take my time on the weekends. I can spend more time doing my meditation, reading, studying, and going to the gym. It makes for a much more relaxing morning ritual when I can spend half the morning on it.

Q: Is there anything else you would like to share about your ‘morning ritual’?

I have just re-introduced journaling to my routine… it’s so new that I am still figuring out how best to fit it in to my current routine. It isn’t a habit yet. But it is one of the healthiest things I think you can do. At first you might think ‘Oh, but I’m not a writer, I wouldn’t know what to say!’ but soon you sit down with your pad and a thousand thoughts pop out of the darkness of your mind and clamor to be heard. It makes for interesting reading too. It creates a portal for the unconscious mind to express itself. Each word you write seems to invite another. You’d be amazed what comes out. For this, it’s nice to have a comfortable writing desk… and a coffee. It’s so relaxing.” 

Cristina: The Early Bird Gets the Worm

CogniFit Video Coach - Cristina
CogniFit Video Coach – Cristina

Q: What does “Morning Ritual” mean to you?

“For me a morning ritual means a practice dedicated to your well-being. A moment that you dedicate to yourself.”

Q: What categories of activities (food, exercise, hygiene, reading, etc.) should be considered as part of a ‘morning ritual’?

“Mind, body, spirit & soul are what I feel should be prioritized for holistic health & balance. An activity for your mind that allows mental stimulation and focus, an activity for your body that consists of movement and energy to be created, & an activity for soul where you can tune into your inner-world, and an activity for spirit where you can receive guidance and inspiration for your day.”

Q: What is the very first thing you do when you wake up?

“I hydrate and begin with setting an intention for the theme of my day.”

Q: Do you do any type of exercise or workout (cardio, yoga, weights, etc.) in the morning?

“Yes, I attempt to do a yoga or movement practice.  It varies between yoga flow or cardio—depending on what my body is asking for. I let my choice of movement practice be very intuitive.”

Q: Do you do any type of mindfulness or meditation in the mornings?

“I enjoy putting the band Muse on the stereo and doing meditation and track my brain waves.”

Q: What is your perfect weekday breakfast to get you ready for a productive day? What would be your perfect weekend breakfast for a day full of outdoor activities?

“I am a huge fan of intermittent fasting, so I usually begin with a smoothie before introducing any meals into my day.  For brunch this often includes avocado toast on sourdough and a ‘liver rescue’ smoothie (dragon fruit, banana, blueberries, raspberries and mineral water).”

Q: Do you check the news, listen to podcasts, or read books as part of a morning ritual?

“When I am inspired, I do like to read my book and listen to a Spotify playlist of upbeat music to help me get energized. I avoid engaging with the news in the mornings and try and dedicate one hour without looking at my phone.”

Q: How does your morning ritual change from weekdays to weekends?

“I am definitely more disciplined Monday to Friday due to my working hours and schedule—so my morning rituals begin from 8-9am before I begin my work activities.”

Q: Is there anything else you would like to share about your ‘morning ritual’?

“My morning ritual is mine. I suggest you create yours around what inspires you to feel good.”


As you can see, the choices we make each morning play an enormous role in how we feel throughout the day. Making healthy choices and building better habits can create a virtuous cycle that helps us feel more productive, more energetic, and less stressed.

Luckily, there is no one-size-fits-all solution to what makes a great morning routine. So for those of us who find it impossible to wake up early (and I’ll not even mention trying to skip that morning coffee), having a healthy breakfast and practicing mindfulness exercises can still make a huge difference.

(But you should really try to stop pressing snooze on that alarm… Yes, even on Saturday.)

October 22, 2021
2 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
Wellness

Color Psychology: The Meaning and Effect of Hues

by Scott Wilkinson October 21, 2021
written by Scott Wilkinson

The meaning of colors has a much more significant impact on our daily lives than we realize. But what exactly is Color Psychology? How do colors influence our emotions?

Each of us associates certain feelings and thoughts with each unique hue. And in this article, we will explore the basics of color psychology, its practical applications, and how to use it to your benefit.

BEHIND THE PSYCHOLOGY


Colors can change our perception, alter our senses, excite us, and influence how we react to our surroundings in unique and exciting ways. They have the power to improve our memory and attention as well as influence us to make specific decisions.

Knowing the meaning of colors can help us better understand our behavior. We can then design environments that bring about emotional states that are more appropriate for that space.

For example…

Imagine a children’s toy.

You probably think of a brightly colored object with strong contrasts that overflows with energy and vitality. If we think of the same toy, but we paint it black with silver details, does it still give us the same feeling of curious youthful energy?

While there is no real “color code” for how everyday objects or environments should look, we still make associations between them. We usually don’t stop to think about it. However, we are instantaly surprised if we see a blue banana, orange contact lenses, or a fluorescent yellow tree.

Color Psychology is a field of study that never stops developing.

Its dominance is vital for professionals such as creatives or for companies and new products that want to break into a new market. Designers and architects rely on this psychology to design clothing, cars, products, and homes – all in the name of eliciting different pleasant reactions.

INFLUENCING MENTAL STATES


Every moment, stimuli bombards our brains. From this, we carry out countless number tasks and choices each day. We have no time to process everything that zips through our sensory highway.

These unconscious associations we develop on such fundamental aspects of reality save us a great deal of time since they are processed automatically.

On top of it all, humans are deeply emotional creatures.

Colors interact with our memory, awaken feelings, and guide our reasoning. They remind us of nice things like the rain boots we wore when we jumped in puddles when we were young. But they can also irritate us, even make us ill.

WHAT DOES EACH COLOR MEAN?


This issue has sparked passionate debate.

Professionals such as psychologists, sociologists, linguists, or market researchers each interpret the meaning of colors differently. They analyze phrases such as “being green with envy” or “seeing life through rose-colored glasses.”

Companies dump millions of dollars into studies on a single color – and every possible variation of reaction or emotion.

Let’s take a look at what some of the colors might mean and how they are used:

WHAT DOES WHITE MEAN?

It is the color of snow, milk, cotton, and wedding dresses. White often represents a new beginning, lightness, perfection, purity, peace, innocence, etc.

In hospitals, white is one of the predominant colors; it’s aseptic and transmits calm. White shirts are used to create a good impression since it is an immaculate and neutral color.

A blank sheet of paper opens the door to a world full of possibilities, but it can also give us a certain sense of anguish if we do not know how to use it.

HOW ABOUT YELLOW?

The color yellow is often linked to positive concepts such as optimism, youth, confidence, and creativity. As children, we painted our smiley faces yellow and would rarely dress in yellow on a sad day. It is the color of the sun, gold, or animals as friendly as giraffes or baby chicks.

However, yellow is a contradictory color. It is related to betrayal, greed, lies, madness, or warnings. Groups that have been excluded, such as those of the Jewish faith, prostitutes, or single mothers have found this color linked to them in some way. It should be noted that it is the most valued color in China and has nearly no negative meaning there.

THE MEANING OF ORANGE?

Orange Flowers
Credit: Pexels

The color orange immediately captures attention. It’s also a “love it or hate it” hue – and for good reason.

This color is found in several fruits and vegetables or a beautiful sunset. According to Color Psychology, orange represents extravagance, energy, transformation, and the singular. It stimulates the appetite and brings on bursts of energy. It’s also connected to flamboyance, determination, and warmth.

And for any foodies out there, it might conjure the joy of pumpkin spice.

But on the flip side, it can be a very exhausting color if used too much, and it’s counted as most people’s least favorite shade. Couple that with the use of orange for many different kinds of “danger signs” and we can understand why it’s something to use with caution.

WHAT DOES RED MEAN?

Red is the most passionate color. it alarms us and captures our attention immediately.

Color Psychology tells us that red is linked to love, blood, joy, suspense, closeness, war, or the forbidden. Since it’s a color of urgency, it appears on stop signs and discount sale tags.

Dressing in red attracts the eye. It not only influences sexual attraction in humans, but animals love seeing red on each other as well! Lipstick “stains” on a shirt collar are always red, and so is the pen your teacher used to correct your assignments.

So, if you want to send an infallible message or be looked at, use red.

HOW ABOUT PINK?

According to the psychology of color, pink can represent sweetness, femininity, delicacy, charm, sensitivity, courtesy, illusion, or eroticism.

It can be “childish” by linking with youthfulness and innocence. But it also acquires nuances raised in tone by being the color of the nude (in many western cultures).

For anyone who loves pink, they love it wholeheartedly – as well as hating any stereotypical labels of irritating, sexist, or cheesy. The shade that receives the most criticism is fuchsia, because it’s associated with cheap and tacky products.

WHAT’S UP WITH PURPLE?

Purple is an unusual and enigmatic color.

It doesn’t appear in nature as much as its brethren and therefore stands out from the rest if used correctly. Purple is tied to the world of luxury (because of the pigment’s rarely in dyes back in the day), religion, and sexuality. Purple objects have an ambivalent and attractive aura.

It has been linked to homosexuality and adopted by feminism. It reflects nostalgia, fantasy, banality, ambition, or vanity. As we can see, it is a color with multiple ambiguous meanings that can have a lot of potential, if we want to use it creatively.

THE MEANING OF BLUE?

The color blue is the one the most people name as their favorite.

It symbolizes harmony, fidelity, sympathy, peace, serenity, trust, honesty, or communication. It should not surprise us that several social networks (and all kinds of corporations) use it in their logos.

However, it can also seem cold and distant. It is often unappetizing in foods (most foods we think of as blue are purple, such as blueberries). And it may also make us suspicious.

Even so, it is still ideal for many uses – such as painting a room if you want a more relaxed tone.

WHAT’S THE MEANING OF GREEN?

Green Leaf Plant
Credit: Pexels

Green is the most natural color. It reminds us of grass, youth, hope, health, fertility, and wealth. It’s fresh and harmonious, evoking moments of peace, youth, and tranquility. Environmentally conscious people are called “green.”

Although most associations are pleasant, it is not an entirely innocent color. Green can also give rise to associated with poison or other dangerous substances.

WHAT DOES BROWN MEAN?

The color brown can represent laziness, sloth, dirt, vulgarity, or ugliness. It may seem bland and dated. The least appreciated color is brown.

However, brown is a color that has a significant presence around us and awakens multiple associations. It is the color of wood and autumn. Resistance, warmth, and pleasant homes are connected as well.

Then there are foods such as chocolate, and having a tan tone is highly valued in many western cultures today. In the last few years, it has found a new friend in the color blue.

HOW ABOUT GRAY?

According to Color Psychology, gray mainly symbolizes old age and sobriety as well as having a “dampening” effect.

It can be dark, mediocre, and bland or signify ‘gray’ areas where moral rules may not apply. On the other hand, gray also reminds us of elegance in fashion, diplomacy, intellect, and compromise.

Despite the idea of “with age comes wisdom”, as a culture we are adamant about hiding our grey hairs.

But before you brush this shade under the rug, remember that its neutral standing can be paired with other colors to really make them pop – which is useful for interior design.

WHAT DOES BLACK MEAN?

Color psychology tells us that black is closely related to the world of night, power, and death. It represents denial, mystery, mourning, hatred, or cruelty. People associate black cats with bad luck, and no one wants to have a black and stormy day. It is the end, a heavy and violent finish.

However, black is an elemental color in any closet and surrounds us everywhere. It is functional and handy to go to a party at night or look more elegant on an occasion that requires sobriety.

In the book Psychology of Color by Eva Heller, the meaning of these colors is deepened. It has been one of the primary sources of this article.

COLOR PYSCHOLOGY USED IN DIFFERENT CULTURES


A Berlin and Kay analysis stated that many cultures stood on common ground when it came to categorizing colors. 

It’s believed that there are six primary colors, and the rest are grouped around these. The primary group also had common “beliefs” through different cultures, but the others begin to branch off in their associations.

For example…

It’s frowned upon in our society to appear with garish colors in a burial; we prefer dark tones such as black. However, many years ago in Europe, women used bright colors, and covered themselves with huge white cloths. In Asia, on the other hand, mourning is linked to white.

This color is best suited to ideas about reincarnation.

In fact, within our own cultures, the meanings of colors are not unchangeable. 

Did you know that it was only in the 1920s that girls began to be dressed in pink and boys in blue? It eventually became the “norm” – even now we have pink/blue gender reveal parties. However, times are changing again, and plenty of people are criticizing the practice.

Colors can be associated with entire time periods. The ’60s and ’70s were orange, brown, and yellow. The ’80s was a rainbow of jarring neon that has only begun to appear again as the “new thing.”

'60s kitchen

In other words, over time, we redefine the meaning of colors and create new rules that may one day be forgotten.

The meanings of color vary even from person to person. 

We can perceive them in one way or another depending on fashion, our emotional state, or the phase of life we are going through. For example, the preference for black decreases as age increases (not counting young children), as it acquires negative connotations.

And let’s not forget that not everyone sees the same colors – e.g. colorblind people.

There are even those with synesthesia who can “hear” them. 

COLOR PSYCHOLOGY APPLICATIONS


  • Colors have been used to try to cure diseases
  • They are common in practically all the descriptions we make
  • We tend to choose colors that fit our mood and that we think represent us
  • Some b relationship between colors and personality

But if we dig deeper, we can find some very interesting stuff…

THE USE IN CREATIVES

Perhaps the first professions that come to mind when talking about colors and color psychology are the most related to creativity.

Designers (graphics, fashion, interiors, products, etc.), artists, advertisers, and other similar occupations need to know people’s minds to capture their attention and communicate with them. For example, we can see that the range of colors of a news channel is very different from that of a children’s program.

It’s a complicated mission to stand out in a society that’s saturated with images.

Still, it’s possible to better connect with the audience and create an emotional impact – and not always for the main goal of making money.

THE MEANING FOR COMPANIES

The corporate image of companies is fundamental.

What if someone asked you to name a red soft drink. We don’t need any more cues to know exactly which product they’re talking about.  Brands condense their logo and the rest of their visual elements into a corporate persona. Colors are essential in marketing strategies.

Imagine a restaurant chain that uses a different logo color and advertisement pallet in each place differently. Our memory will be weaker and disorganized. As a result, that business will miss many opportunities to attract and retain customers. 

We can see changes in the colors that companies use in their image depending on the characteristics of their audience and social trends. It is no coincidence that some brands go from their usual colors to green, which, as we know, is the ecological tone par excellence.

The thing is, colors are not only crucial for the public.

Employees can increase their well-being and increase productivity if they work in a place where they feel comfortable. An enclosed black space in low light can overwhelm workers and they will want to spend as little time as possible on their desks.

On the other hand, if we paint those walls white and put some touches of green and blue and others of warm colors (respecting the brand’s image), maybe it will be a cozier place.

MEANING IN OUR DAILY LIVES

Colors also affect us when making the most common decisions.

A common question right from when we are young is, “What’s your favorite color?” Everyone has their personal preferences. Think of any object, and it will probably come in every color imaginable. So, it’s likely that if a decision is not essential (a cup, for example), we will lean towards our favorite.

However, there are everyday situations in which we have to think about many more variables.

If we are going to buy a car, we have to be sure not to make mistakes. We will spend a lot of time with it, we may want something daring like orange, but it is possible that we get tired and regret the decision later.

Red Subaru Sedan on Road
Credit: Pexels

On the other hand, a car of a more discreet color such as black or navy blue may be less visible at night. On the other hand, dirt is more noticeable on white and harder to see in winter storms.

There’s also a direct financial impact on your insurance – for example, red cars are associated with sports vehicles (and therefore speed) and are set at a higher insurance rate.

COLOR PSYCHOLOGY TIPS



1. Favorites are not always suitable

We’re likely to be passionate about purple, but maybe we’ll be distressed to spend too much time in our room if we’ve abused it. However, it is a perfect color to give any outfit a bit of splash. Especially if combined with others like orange.

Think about what the function of the object or space will be before choosing the color.

2. Context is essential

We know the importance of cultural variables and the circumstances of each situation when selecting a color.

Seeing a candidate for a lawyer position in a phosphorite green suit attend an interview could be illogical. However, we can always try to innovate and experiment with an extravagant and daring color combination, so we stand out from the crowd.

3. Learn how to combine

We may have to design a poster – and have thought about all aspects of color psychology. But there are more aspects to consider, such as the effect that two colors can have together.

For example, brown accompanied by gold, yellow, and orange represents autumn. However, if brown is presented next to gray and black, it becomes conservative and bland.

4. They must be functional

Who hasn’t bought a white piece of clothing while worrying about if it’s going to get stained? There are colors more resistant to dirt, others more suitable for heat, some are perfect if we want to go unnoticed, etc.

A good example is font color. While black on white is good with paper, modern web design uses dark grey instead. This is because it reduces eye strain.

As much as we like to write in light pink on white, black on yellow is infinitely more distinguishable. In fact, this is the combination that stands out the most. However, it’s also the most glaring and usually hints at warning or danger.

5. Use colors to improve memory

If you are preparing for an exam and don’t know how to remember all the steps of a boring list, try to relate each point to a color. Mnemonic rules encourage our learning. 

Also, if you have to make a presentation, you can also improve your audience’s memory in this way as well. Use color psychology to highlight the most important thing you have to say and associate each color with its meaning.

6. Be consistent

This is especially important for companies and brand recognition.

If you have a business or are thinking about entrepreneurship, think carefully about what you want to convey. All the elements of your company must be congruent with each other. The help of a professional designer who takes these aspects into account can be essential to rescue a company or launch it successfully.

ENDING THOUGHTS


Our brains might be automatically trained to make color associations. And yes, it’s a good idea for businesses to stay consistent. But that doesn’t mean there’s no room for experimentation, innovation, or expressionism.

Explore, learn, and grow into the endless choices of color.

October 21, 2021
1 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
CogniFit News

CogniFit Helps CASA SEAT in “Enjoy Your Drive” Series

by Scott Wilkinson October 20, 2021
written by Scott Wilkinson

CogniFit Helps CASA SEAT Promote Driver Safety Through Cognitive Assessments

We are excited to announce a collaboration where Cognifit helps CASA SEAT with their Enjoy Your Drive series focused on training in road safety.

But how does this pairing work? And how did this mobile-centric company turn what could have been a boring safety seminar into something fun and dynamic? Let’s take a closer look…

 WHAT IS CASA SEAT?


CASA SEAT is a branch of the SEAT automotive company. However, instead of just churning out cars, they label themselves as a forward-looking project – one that explores the future of mobility.

They look at new technologies and weave these advances with creative design. CASA SEAT is one of these projects. The space in downtown Barcelona hosts events, activities, and creative spaces such as…

  • A gastronomic restaurant that ranks in the top 100 in the Macarfi guide. It serves everything from brunch to tapas and tasting menus.
  • An open concept coworking space for those who don’t have to commute to an office.
  • An auditorium that hosts talks and cultural events.
  • A showroom that houses their latest mobility solutions.

Promo Video for CASA SEAT [Video in Spanish]


CASA SEAT is one of the most exciting organizations of its kind and brings people together around topics such as road safety, sustainable mobility, and alternative transportation.

This is where we come to the unique “Enjoy Your Drive” event.

WHAT IS THIS CASA SEAT EVENT?


The Enjoy Your Drive event, which took place in Barcelona (September 17th through November 30th), was presented in collaboration with Fast Parcmotor and the RACC.

Attendees of the event could join a series of talks and activities focused on learning to enjoy driving in complete safety through activities related to driver education. This included…

  • Learning several concepts around first-aid that could be applied to later talks and events. CASA’s Medical Service team included practical examples such as the Rautek maneuver, a key technique to safely remove a person trapped in a car.
  • Getting into a “roll-over simulator” – which is a capsule that houses a car interior but with extra safety measures such as padding on the roof and an adjusted seat belt restraint. Participants could then get inside and feel what it would be like to experience a roll-over situation.
  • Specialized trainers from RACC and Fast Parcmotor provided attendees with a supervised driving experience. Drivers could learn the appropriate steps to take to ensure their safety and maintain vehicle integrity at all times.

'Rollover Simulator' in CASA SEAT event.
The ‘Rollover Simulator’ in the mobility hub

HOW COGNIFIT HELPS CASA SEAT


Something as complex as safely driving a motor vehicle needs more than physical awareness and knowledge of first-aid practices. It also requires drivers to use a broad range of cognitive abilities such as Focus, Visual Short-term Memory, and Processing Speed, just to name a few.

This is why CogniFit has partnered with CASA SEAT to allow attendees to take our Cognitive Assessment Battery for Driving.  

CogniFit driving assessment

Some of these tests included…

  • Clicking in one place as fast as you can or clicking in the middle of shapes (as fast as possible) as they appear on different parts of the screen.
  • Prediction of shape speed and movement, where different color orbs move in random directions across the screen or along a lined path.
  • Listening to music and then stopping at a certain cue – with exact timing being critical for a decent score.
  • Seeing distance between 3D shapes – whether in relation to the person or in relation to each other. For example, “which shape is farthest away from the pink ball.”
  • Shape appearance memory and reaction, where the user must remember if a shape or audio-spoken word has appeared in the sequence or not, and in what medium.
  • Using shapes and numbers of different sizes or higher values. For example, if the word blue is also colored in a blue hue, or a number is higher versus the shape is larger.
  • Memorize number sequences until they become unmanageable for that person’s particular level.
  • Following a circle while clicking if the word matched a color.

Then what happened?

The final results are then broken down into different categories. These include areas of low, medium, or high risk as well as measurement against rule-following or mental adaptation. The numbers also take into account how old the person is, if they’ve had any previous driving violations, how they feel during different on-road situations (like in a traffic jam).

If the answers form a certain driving style/pattern, that will also appear on the report. But there is also a chance that the results could form a “not specified” style.

However, these are all just the FIRST part of the end-result. There are at least two more pages that include a cognitive profile that related to driving that are broken down into:

  • Perception
  • Reasoning
  • Memory
  • Attention
  • And coordination

Finally, practices/exercises are recommended to deal with any weak areas.

CogniFit driving assessment results

After visitors took the test, people could see a full report detailing the functioning of their cognitive abilities related to safe and effective driving.

Based on the feedback from the CogniFit driving assessment and the automotive safety experts from CASA SEAT, drivers were able to get a clear picture of their on-road safety skills. This included things like compliance with road regulations and their cognitive capabilities related to safe driving. They also walked away with specific recommendations and a personalized plan of action.

It was truly a wonderful partnership and event, and something CogniFit looks forward to joining again in the future!

October 20, 2021
1 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
CogniFit News

CogniFit Named Health Tech Challenger Winner for 2021

by Scott Wilkinson October 15, 2021
written by Scott Wilkinson

Cognifit is proud to be named “Most Disruptive Startup” Health Tech Challenger winner for 2021!

It has been a whirlwind couple of years for everyone in the health and wellness industries. The global pandemic has caused professionals in all areas of the health and wellness industries to push harder and go beyond what they thought possible.

This is true for doctors and nurses on the frontlines helping patients with the physical aspects of the pandemic. It is equally true for those of us who are dedicated to promoting cognitive health and mental wellbeing.

COGNIFIT’S JOURNEY


We have worked hard to grow CogniFit into a tool that helps individuals, educators, healthcare professionals, and even researchers understand and improve the cognitive abilities – ones that we rely on for so many of our daily activities.

From our continuing investment in digital therapeutics research to the launch of our new Video Coach programs, 2021 has been as exciting as it has been exhausting. But for our team of neuroscience experts, software and game developers, Video Coach trainers, and everyone else who makes CogniFit such a wonderful organization, seeing the fruits of our work makes it all worth it.

But we also enjoy knowing that others recognize our successes as well. We couldn’t be more excited about our most recent accolade: Being voted ‘Most Disruptive Startup’ at Health Tech Challengers 2021!

WHAT IS HEALTH TECH CHALLENGERS?


Health Tech Challenger 2021 Awards
Presenters of Health Tech Challenger 2021 Awards

Health Tech Challengers “identifies and brings top global digital health tech startups together on one stage to compete for an equity-free money prize, global media exposure as well as the attention of 100+ VCs and CVCs.”

To be a part of this event, startups must be “innovators in one of the six tracks fostering the digital health revolution – Telemedicine & Personalized care, Mental Health, Deep Tech & AI, mHealth, Hospital Workflow, and Diagnostics.”

In each of the six tracks, the judges of Health Tech Challengers, a distinguished panel of industry experts from leading corporations, Venture Capital, ecosystem builders, and media partners, select 10 outstanding companies to participate in the event.

Each year, prizes are awarded to the top companies for each track and one single company is announced as the ultimate winner of the ‘Health Tech Challenger 2021’ award.

This year, the ‘Top 60’ startups came together for the live (or virtual) pitch at Health Tech Forward 2021, the leading industry conference of the year, which took place on the 12-14 of October.

THE HEALTH TECH CHALLENGER WINNER: COGNIFIT


CogniFit was voted the winner of the Health Tech Challenger 2021 Award!

We competed against some of the top startups in the world. Companies with fantastic ideas and excellent execution, companies who are bringing new and exciting health tech solutions to people around the world. But in the end, the panel of judges selected CogniFit as the most disruptive startup of the year, presenting us with the best-in-show title of ‘Health Tech Challenger 2021.’

Health Tech Challenger 2021 Awards

We are deeply honored and humbled by this experience. And, wish to thank the judges, the fantastic companies against who we competed, and of course the organizers of the Health Tech Challenger competition.

Our CEO, Carlos Rodriquez responded to the announcement saying, “Thank you so much for this award and for organizing this fantastic event! And thank you to all participants for your inspiring presentations. Let’s keep transforming the health industry together.”

It is always a wonderful experience being a part of the CogniFit team. But today is just a little bit more special, knowing that our efforts are truly making a difference.

October 15, 2021
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
For Families

Using CogniFit for Families to Start a Conversation About Mental Wellbeing with Your Family

by Scott Wilkinson October 13, 2021
written by Scott Wilkinson

Talking about mental wellbeing can be difficult at times. If the subject is brought up in the wrong way it can make some people feel awkward, vulnerable, or like they are being judged.

But even though it can be awkward, it is still important to have frank, open, and honest conversations about mental wellbeing issues, especially with the people who are closest to you: your family.

Opening up and discussing topics relating to mental wellbeing with your kids and family members before a serious issue arises can help make everyone feel more comfortable speaking up when something does happen.

The CogniFit for Families platform can be a powerful tool to help you start a conversation about this serious and highly personal topic with kids and other family members.  

Starting to Talk About Mental Wellbeing with Your Family

It's never too early to start talking about mental health. Photo by Michael Morse from Pexels
It’s never too early to start talking about mental wellbeing. Photo by Michael Morse from Pexels

The CogniFit for Families platform is designed specifically for families to test, train, and track the evolution of the cognitive abilities we use every day. The same cognitive abilities can affect all aspects of cognitive health and mental wellbeing.

Within the platform, the family member in charge of the Family account can view a list of every family member connected to the Family account, along with details regarding their cognitive skills and training progress.

By making cognitive health and improving the state of mental capacities a normal part of your family’s daily conversations, it can be easier to bring up topics related to general mental wellbeing, including serious mental wellbeing topics.

What can start as a simple “today was easier to stay focused because of cognitive training” can quickly lead to more in-depth and personal topics such as “I felt calmer today because it is easier to focus on my schoolwork.”

Of course, as with any mental wellbeing issues, it is important to understand that CogniFit, or any other cognitive tool, can serve as a part of a holistic approach to your family’s mental wellbeing, but it should not replace the expertise of a trained mental health professional.

If you or someone in your family is suffering from mental wellbeing issues, please seek help immediately.

October 13, 2021
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
Brain HealthWellness

Examples of Neuroplasticity In Relationships and Friendships

by Scott Wilkinson October 6, 2021
written by Scott Wilkinson

Humans are incredibly social creatures. We’ve built cities, created great works of art, and even explore the space beyond our planet. And, believe it or not, all of this is due to our ability to form bonds with each other.

Building and maintaining relationships with others isn’t just one of the most rewarding things we can do. It allows us, as a species to do what would otherwise be impossible.

Now, you may not be planning to build a spaceship to visit Mars anytime soon, but that doesn’t mean your links to friends, family, coworkers, and loved ones aren’t incredibly important. The goal of this article is to explain these bonds in relation to brain function and give examples of neuroplasticity in relationships and friendships.

THE UPS AND DOWNS


It can be difficult at times to maintain good relationships with the people around you.

Our lives are constantly changing. We move to new cities, have more obligations, and have very little time to meet our obligations. And, on top of it all, we still need to be good friends, colleagues, and partners.

The field of social neuroscience continues to advance at breakneck speeds. From this, we are seeing a clearer picture of the impact that neuroplasticity has on our ability to create, develop, and maintain social bonds – which is incredibly important for us as humans.

But what exactly is neuroplasticity and how does it affect our ability to form healthy relationships with others?

WHAT IS NEUROPLASTICITY?


The term ‘neuroplasticity’ is often used as an umbrella term.

It refers to the many changes that happen (at many levels) in our nervous system. This includes changes in the physical and chemical structures of our brain and neurons, as well as how the brain reacts to external stimuli.

However, at its most basic level, neuroplasticity is the ability of our nervous system to adapt its structure and function throughout our lifetime – in response to changes in our environment.

Neuroplasticity allows neurons to regenerate both anatomically as well as functionally. They form new synaptic connections. It’s our brain’s ability to recover and restructure itself. This “adaptive potential” of the nervous system allows the brain to recover after it’s injured. This can include direct harm to the brain or damage from health disorders. For example, neuroplasticity can help with altered structures that come from different pathologies such as…

examples of neuroplasticity
  • Multiple Sclerosis
  • Parkinson’s disease
  • Cognitive decline
  • Alzheimer’s
  • Dyslexia
  • ADHD
  • Insomnia, etc.

[Image – 1) Before training 2) Neural networks 2 weeks after stimulation 3) 2 months after stimulation]

It’s necessary for much more…

Neuroplasticity is not only used for recovering from injuries. It’s also the process when our nervous system changes and grows in response to good environmental factors. It’s the adaptation to the general changes we constantly experience.

Neuroplasticity makes it possible to learn a new route to work when you move to a new house. It helps us adapt to extreme changes in our environment, such as when we first start high school. And neuroplasticity allows us to be flexible in how we interact with the people around us as they change and grow.

EXAMPLES OF NEUROPLASTICITY IN RELATIONSHIPS


It’s no secret that people change and grow over time. This means our relationships will inevitably change over time as well. Whether it is with parents, friends, colleagues, or even romantic partners, the bonds we form and the roles we play will never stay the same.

One of the many examples of neuroplasticity is the friends we made in elementary and high school. They are not the same people today as they were when we first met them.

Boy Jumping Near Grass at Daytime
Credit: Pexels

But it’s not only large, long-term changes that can affect how we relate to those around us. Our bubbly best friend might have a bad day. Because of this, they may not react the same way to the jokes and silliness that normally define the relationship. When we go to a work event with our partner, we need to adjust how we interact with everyone

Brain plasticity is what helps us to adjust the mental models of how we interact with people. It updates our expectations and behavior based on both short-term and long-term changes in the environment and the nature of the relationship in front of us.

For example…

If we imagine a person who did not have the ability to change their neural connections via neuroplasticity, it might look rather strange. They might still ask their best friend to play freeze tag just like they did when they were in elementary school. Or someone could have a temper tantrum at their boss when things don’t go their way.

There may also be more serious issues arising from the inability to update our mental models.

If an aging parent became ill and needed help, that “unchanging” person might not be able to adjust to the new situation. Even if their parent is very sick, they may still expect that parent to feed, clothe, and take care of them.

As we can see, our ability to require our neural pathways and build new cognitive models (for behavior based on changing dynamics in relationships) is so important in maintaining healthy social bonds.

Luckily for us, neuroplasticity is not fixed at one level throughout our lives. We can directly change it.

HOW TO “STRENGTHEN” NEUROPLASTICITY?


As with the muscles we use for physical activities, the more we use our ‘mental muscles,’ the stronger they become.

Our brains and bodies have evolved over millions of years to be efficient in the way we use the resources around us. This also means that if we don’t use a muscle very often, our body won’t spend these precious resources making it stronger. This same thing is true of the brain.

If we want to strengthen our neuroplasticity, all we have to do is exercise it regularly.

This can include daily activities like trying to remember information instead of writing it down. Or, we can use puzzles and games (like crosswords) that requires us to think and flex our mental muscles.

CogniFit’s large selection of cognitive brain training activities is also a great way to work on neuroplasticity. This is because each of our activities is developed based on the most current scientific literature on cognitive abilities and neuroplasticity.

So, if you want a brain that’s bulked up with neuroplasticity, start exercising!

Try Some FREE Brain Games!

October 6, 2021
1 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
CogniFit News

What is Video Coach: Understanding CogniFit’s Newest Tool to Help Users Train Their Cognitive Skills

by Scott Wilkinson October 5, 2021
written by Scott Wilkinson

It has been about four months since we launched our exciting new Video Coach training platform, and we couldn’t be happier with the response we have gotten from our users.

Video Coach, for those of you who still have not had a chance to experience it, is a unique and engaging new way to use CogniFit that is designed to help users feel more motivated and confident in their cognitive training.

Video Coach is an exciting new training tool from CogniFit.
Video Coach is an exciting new training tool from CogniFit.

How Does Video Coach Work?

When a user chooses one of the Video Coach training sessions from CogniFit, they will be presented with a series of short, easy-to-follow videos from our team of highly qualified wellness coaches. These videos are intended to help understand not only the skills you will be training but also to give more context into how those skills fit in to our daily lives.

In addition to this, the coaches explain each of the training tasks to be performed during the Video Coach training session, helping to ensure users feel confident and understand exactly what they need to do.

Each Video Coach Session focuses on a specific cognitive ability and includes a set of fun and stimulating brain games that help train that specific ability, as well as an evaluation task that helps the user to track their progress over time.

We already have two fantastic wellness experts that users can select from to guide them through the Video Coach sessions, and we look forward to continuing to add to our team of experts as we add additional languages and expand the Video Coach platform. Once a trainer has been selected, they will continue to be selected by default until the user selects a different trainer.

How Does Video Coach Benefit Users?

We spoke to our current team of Video Coach trainers to find out how Video Coach is going beyond traditional brain training activities to bring users even more cognitive benefits.

Christina shared her thoughts, saying: “I’m incredibly excited to be a part of the Video Coach project and be able to bring my expertise in wellness to CogniFit users around the world. We have been able to take something that has decades of success in the cognitive wellness area and make it even better and more inviting to newer and non-traditional users.

“By providing users with structured training sets built around individual cognitive abilities like memory or focus and combining these sets with instructor-led videos, we are able to provide users with much more in-depth information about each training activity, the cognitive skills being trained, and how those skills fit into our daily activities.

“But more than just telling users why it is important to train these cognitive skills, we are able to keep users motivated to continue training by building an environment that is supportive and helps them feel confident in their training routine.

“And as each user progresses through the instructor-led Video Coach training programs, they are able to learn about their personal cognitive performance and evolution through our coaches’ evaluations.”

As you can see, there is so much that we are proud of about our new Video Coach platform, and we are excited to continue to develop this unique platform.

October 5, 2021
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
CogniFit News

Color Rush: An Arcade-Inspired Brain Training Game

by Scott Wilkinson October 1, 2021
written by Scott Wilkinson

This month we have an exciting new arcade-style brain training game called Color Rush. The high-speed driving game is a fun and exciting way to help boost some of your most important cognitive skills!

ABOUT THE GAME


The main objective of this high-octane driving game is to steer your vehicle through the racetrack as fast as possible. At the same time, you need to collect as many orbs with the same color as the vehicle.

However, watch out for the different obstacles that may appear on the road. The game will become more challenging as the user moves through the different levels, progressively requiring more cognitive resources.

CogniFit’s team of neuropsychologists fashioned this common arcade-style racing game for two reasons. First, so players could relieve their past vintage game experiences. And second, to train cognitive skills in a fun way.

HOW TO PLAY COLOR RUSH


Color Rush uses mechanics that are very simple to learn but can be difficult to master at higher levels.

Color Rush instructions.
Color Rush instructions.

The basic objective of Color Rush is to drive your selected vehicle along the racetrack and collect orbs.

This may seem simple at first. However, drivers will quickly see that becoming a top-tier driver takes plenty of skill and lots of dedication. Obstacles are scattered along the track. And each type of block will require the player to plan ahead quickly to avoid them.

color rush instructions
Race fast as you can through the racetrack.
color rush instructions
As you level up, tracks and obstacles get harder.
color rush instructions
Try to get as many bonus orbs as possible!

Freemode allows first-time users will be prompted to choose which difficulty level to start on. Currently, there are 6 to choose from. Each has its own combination of vehicles and other effects. But, be warned to start TOO high, or you might find yourself overwhelmed.

Color Rush easy difficulty setting.
Color Rush easy difficulty setting.

When playing on the lowest difficulty level (Easy), the player will have to navigate the racetrack with a van. It’s simple to control because of its low acceleration, top speed, and high grip. Players will only have to deal with basic obstacles along the route.

Color Rush max difficulty setting.
Color Rush max difficulty setting.

WHAT HAPPENS ON COLOR RUSH HARD LEVELS?

If the player decides to play on the highest difficulty level (Hard) they will find many more things thrown in the way. Also, their vehicle is a motorcycle with a fast top speed, high acceleration, but low grip.

What can drivers find along the route to the finish line? Let’s take a look:

  • Colored Orbs: These orbs will be found throughout the track. The driver must pass through the lane where the orb matches the color of their vehicle. Don’t get caught in the wrong lane!
  • Hourglasses: Occasionally the driver will encounter hourglasses floating along their route. Collecting these will give the driver precious extra time to collect orbs and cross the finish line.
  • Obstacles: There are various obstacles scattered throughout the track. We don’t want to share what they are just yet! You’ll have to play the game and find out!

THE SCIENCE BEHIND COLOR RUSH


Color Rush is an exciting game that helps stimulate the cognitive abilities related to Updating, Response Time, Shifting, and Estimation.

UPDATING

Brain skills - updating

Updating refers to the ability to oversee actions and behavior as we perform a task. It ensures that it is being completed according to the plan of action. In other words, updating makes sure our behavior is appropriate for a given situation. Also, that our brains are adapting to potentially changing circumstances.

Updating makes it possible to identify and correct any change from the original plan. It’s a function we use countless times over the course of a day.  Some examples of how we might use updating in our daily lives include:

  • A carpenter will have to use updating to ensure his bookshelves are cut and placed properly. A a programmer will constantly use updating to be sure that they haven’t made any mistakes in their code. Any worker in any field must pay attention to make sure that they are doing their work properly.
  • When a child is doing their math homework, they need calculate and write down the right number. Students also have to make sure to take notes in class. Updating makes it possible for students to monitor and detect any errors as they write.
  • When you’re driving to a specific location, you need to make sure to drive carefully and take the right exit. You’ll use updating when making sure that you’re going the right way and paying attention to the exits.

RESPONSE TIME

Brain skills - response time

Response Time, also known as reaction time, refers to the amount of time that takes place between when we perceive something to when we respond to it. It is the ability to detect, process, and respond to a stimulus.

Our ability to appropriately respond to stimuli in a timely and efficient manner depends on many factors, including our ability to perceive, process, and respond to the situation at hand.

  • Perception: Seeing, hearing, or feeling a stimulus with certainty is essential to having good reaction time. When the starter shoots the gun at the beginning of a race, the sound is received by the athlete’s ears (they perceive the stimulus).
  • Processing: In order to have good reaction time, it’s necessary to be focused and understand the information well. Following the previous example, the runners, after hearing the gun, will be able to distinguish the sound from other background noise and know that it is time to start running (process the stimulus).
  • Response: Motor agility is necessary in order to be able to act and have good response time. When the runners perceived and correctly processes the signal, they started moving their legs (respond to the stimulus).

SHIFTING

Brain skills - shifting

Shifting refers to the brain’s ability to adapt our behavior and thoughts to new, changing, or unexpected events. In other words, shifting is the ability to see that what we’re doing isn’t working and make the appropriate changes to adapt to new situations.

Shifting plays an important role in learning and problem-solving. It allows us to choose a strategy and carry it out while adapting to the changing situation we encounter.

Let’s look at the characteristics someone with strong cognitive shifting may exhibit:

  • The ability to adapt quickly to changes or new situations.
  • Able to tolerate changes that may occur when problem solving or carrying out a task.
  • Able to transition from one activity to another and know how to carry themselves properly in every situation.
  • They can see from different points of view and recognize hidden relationships, which allows them to easily find different solutions to the same problem.

ESTIMATION

Brain skills - estimation

Estimation allows us to predict an object’s future location based on its current speed, distance, and time. The brain processes the information that your eyes receive and determines what will happen and how to react quickly.

We also use our estimation ability in perceptive thought processes. Once the brain has decided what information, it’s going to process, it evaluates and estimates. In order to accurately process the information you receive and make an estimation, you need to use past experiences as a reference.

Using real-life previous situations will help ensure that you make an informed estimation about what might happen.

Are you ready to test your Updating, Response Time, Shifting, and Estimation skills while stimulating your cognitive abilities?

Play COLOR RUSH Now!

We hope you enjoy this fast-paced cognitive stimulation brain game! Also, we would love to hear your thoughts on this or any of our other games. If you want to share with us, send us a message on social media.

And don’t forget to keep an eye out for the next exciting game review!

October 1, 2021
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
Newer Posts
Older Posts

Assessment cognifit

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Linkedin
  • Youtube
  • About CogniFit
  • Cognitive Skills
  • Scientific Validation
  • Privacy Policy
  • Help Center

@2022 - All Right Reserved. CogniFit

CogniFit
  • Brain Health
  • Wellness
  • Mindfulness
  • For Educators
  • For Families
  • Research & Discoveries
  • News & Press
    • CogniFit News
    • CogniFit Timeline
  • Start Training
    • Google Play
    • iTunes
    • Cognifit.com
  • English
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept All”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent.
Cookie SettingsAccept All
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT