Two Free Brain Games Added

I've added two more free brain games my memory improvement site:

• Flash Chess 3D is great for building concentration, memory, and strategy ability. Play free now.



• Spiderman 2 - Web of Words trains your processing speed and verbal fluency. Play free now.

To get the most benefit from brain games you need to play them often. This shouldn't be surprising. Practice and repetition are necessary with any self improvement activity, whether it's physical exercise, learning a new skill, or forming a positive new habit.

Start by playing brain games for five or ten minutes a day, preferrably in the morning. Morning is better because it helps prepare your brain for the busy new day.

But any time of the day is fine - the important thing is to do it!

New Proof that Brain Games Work

A new study from Scotland provides the first independent, academic evidence that brain games such as Lumosity and Nintendo's Brain Age can increase educational performance.

In this study, over 600 students in 32 schools across Scotland played Brain Age for 20 minutes every day at the beginning of class. Researchers found that by the end of the study these students had experienced an improvement in their math scores, concentration, and behavior.

And it wasn't just a small improvement, either. The groups who played the brain game improved 50% more than the control groups who did not play the game! The time they took to complete their exams dropped as well, double the amount of the control groups.

Brain games won't turn you into a genius. But mounting evidence suggests that regularly playing these games can significantly improve your concentration, memory, reaction time, perception, and other mental abilities.

To read more about the fascinating Scotland study, click here.

Chew Gum to Improve Memory

At least one study has shown that the act of chewing a piece of gum can improve your memory by up to 36%!

The study found that chewing gum improved both short-term and long-term memory. It didn't matter whether the people in the study chewed spearmint, cinnamon, bubble-gum, or another flavor.

One of the researchers said, "The results were extremely clear; we found that chewing gum targeted memory. People recalled more words and performed better in tests on working memory."

So chew, chew, chew that gum!

You can read more about the chewing gum study here.

Your Hidden Memory Power

A new study implies that we all have potentially amazing memories.

In the experiment, people were shown thousands of pictures over a five-hour time period. When they were tested on their memory of the pictures, they remembered 90% of what they had seen!

The researchers concluded that most of us have an excellent memory for visual images. (Yet more evidence why the Memory Systems discussed on my website are so powerful.)

The other factors that influenced the success of the participants were attention and motivation.

Attention is how intently you focus on the material. Motivation helps keep your energy and desire to be attentive at a high level.

To motivate the participants, the researchers offered a small cash prize to whoever could remember the most pictures. Motivated by the desire to win the prize money, the participants were very attentive to the images.

So what are the lessons here for improving your memory?

1. Use visualization whenever possible.



2. Focus intently on the material you want to remember.



3. Set up a motivating rewards system for your own memory performance.

To read more about this fascinating study, check out this LiveScience article.

Fish Meals Are Better than Fish Oil

Eating fish helps your brain more than taking fish oil capsules or herbal supplements.

The omega-3 fatty acids found in fatty fish such as salmon can improve your memory and concentration. That is an established fact.

But a recent study indicates that if you want the most benefit, you need to actually eat the fish, not just take fish oil pills.

Making the effort to include more fatty fish in your diet is a really smart move. The authors of the study recommend eating fatty fish such as salmon or sardines at least two meals per week.

Don't worry; despite being called "fatty fish", these fish won't make you fat. Rather, the fatty oils in the fish help the cells in your brain and nervous system work more efficiently.

New Fish Oil Study

A new study out of South Africa supports earlier findings that a daily dose of fish oil can improve learning and memory.

The authors of the study found that the Omega-3 in fish oil helped improve "verbal learning, memory, and spelling ability" in the study participants, a group of school-aged children. Not only were the children "able to retain information better", but they also had fewer sick days.

For more details, check out this short article:

Fish Oil Linked to Kids' Spelling Skills

You can add fish oil to your own diet in one of three ways:

• Eat "fatty" fish such as salmon two or three meals per week.


• Take fish oil pills. These are available anywhere vitamins are sold.


• Take fish oil liquid, such as Carlson's brand. This is the most concentrated form of fish oil and is what I personally use.

An Apple a Day ...

According to the old saying, "an apple a day keeps the doctor away". That apple might also help keep memory loss away.

As we age, the cells in our nervous system accumulate more and more damage from chemicals called "free radicals". Although harmful, free radicals are produced naturally in the body over time.

Free radicals cause oxidative (destructive) damage to our cells, which makes our cells work less efficiently. In particular, oxidative damage to your brain cells can contribute to loss of memory.

The challenge is to protect your body against oxidative damage and reverse it if possible. That's where apples and other foods that contain "anti-oxidants" come into play.

One study at the University of Massachusetts reveals that eating apples can help provide this anti-oxidant protection. Dr. Thomas Shea, one of the researchers, says results of the new study suggest that "... eating and drinking apples and apple juice, in conjunction with a balanced diet, can protect the brain from the effects of oxidative stress."

So eat an apple or two a day - they're good for you and will help keep your memory strong as you age.

To read more about the study, click here.