5 Brain Training Apps Actually Fun Enough to Stick With

Nothing gets you more fired up than brain training, right? Not. After a long day of work, the last thing you probably want to do is hardcore mental exercises. Thankfully, technology is making this easier and easier on us. We hate to break it to you, but no app that forces your brain to concentrate and improve is going to be more fun than angry birds. However, if you can commit just five minutes a day to brain training apps that use enough positive game mechanics, rewards, and quality graphics, you’d be surprised how fast that supercomputer in your noggin’ can learn.

 

1. DUOLINGO

Right out of the gate, this popular language learning app is one of our favorites. Duolingo works so well because of it’s step-by-step structure, along with a fantastic achievement system. Each quiz you start should take only between 5-10 minutes. You’ll create sentences, learn new words, pronounce them into a microphone, and match pictures to phrases.

The best part happens after you’ve finished each quiz. You’ll receive daily experience points, a chart that ranks you against yourself and other friends you’ve chosen to connect to, and “lingots” that you can spend on unlocking secret classes, like how to flirt in Spanish. Who doesn’t need that in the back pocket at all times?

 

2. ELEVATE

Elevate AppIf you’ve ever heard of Lumosity, Elevate is a great alternative that doesn’t require a payment plan. Elevate has quick-but-challenging games that really make you dig in, like listening to a conversation between two people and remembering key facts afterward. You’ll also be able to increase your reading speed, writing abilities, and more.

Even though it seems like Elevate focuses only on your language skills, you’d be amazed at how powerful your own language can be. In fact, the words you use to talk to yourself are insanely important. Make sure you’re keeping up with all the tasks in your life by spending a few minutes each day prepping the brain machine that helps you crush ’em.

 

3. CALM OR (HEADSPACE)

Ah, meditation. It’s like flossing. You know you should be doing it every single day, but do you? We sure are guilty of skipping our meditation minutes…. and our flossing. It’s fine, having teeth is probably a fad anyway. The point is, meditation apps are a great way to introduce yourself to the practice.

Calm or Headspace both have the ability to set a timer for silent mediation (no biggie) as well as guided meditations based on a variety of subjects. Guided meditation can be extremely helpful for beginners, or those who are struggling to get back into meditating.

But, we should warn you, guided is kind of like training wheels. There is nothing more amazing than a calm and quiet mind you will eventually experience if you try just 10 minutes of silent meditation a day. For a sweet introductory guide on what’s supposed to be “going on” in your head while you meditate, check this out.

 

4. THE PODCAST APP

Podcast AppAlone, podcasts are a great way to learn new information. There are podcasts about almost any subject imaginable, from ancient history to relationship advice. However, we’ve always struggled to just sit still and listen to a podcast, so we love combining them with other activities!

For instance, your commute to work each day is absolute prime time to toss some knowledge around. You may get burnt out if you try this on every commute, because you still need to relax and decompress in a stressful situation like traffic. But if you’re in traffic and simultaneously learning the secrets to the universe, that’s not so bad!

A workout or a run is also a great time to explore podcasts. In fact, listening to intelligent conversation while training your physical body has so be some sort of real life cheat code. Tell us you don’t feel like you leveled up after leaving the gym!

 

5.  CAMBRIDGE BRAIN SCIENCES

This isn’t an app, but maybe some of you aren’t living the smartphone life yet. Honestly, good for you. It’s pretty cool to have the sum of human knowledge in your pocket, but that comes with the cost of hyper-connectivity, lower quality sleep, and just another addiction in your life you have to manage.

Whoops, sorry for being such a bummer. Cambridge Brain Sciences is the real deal. You can chose from a variety of extremely simple brain games, or take the “IQ Challenge” which lasts about a half hour. You’ll try to memorize as many numbers as you can, compare complex shapes, and test your reflexes. This is the heavy stuff, and if you’re serious about a better-functioning brain, schedule a few tests into your work week during a coffee break.

FREE BOOTCAMP: THREE DAYS TO TRANSFORM YOUR MIND, BODY, AND LIFE!

MORE INTEL

4 Comments

  1. Nic Vermillion

    Looks like fifteen minutes of my lunch break will be in Duolingo.

    Reply
  2. Mihai

    I’ve checked Cambridge Brain Sciences. It’s really interesting. Now I know what I will do every evening for a few minutes 🙂 . Thanks!

    Reply
  3. bob jones

    Useful, thanks!

    Reply
  4. Eric Ove

    I’m hitting the Cambridge one on my break!

    Reply

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