Does Brain Training Work? Transfer, Hype, and What to Expect
Marcos Hernanz
Founder & CEO
Brain training is full of bold claims.
Some programs help, many don't, and almost all marketing oversimplifies the science.
This post explains the key concept you need to evaluate claims: transfer.
What is transfer?
Transfer is when training on one task improves performance on another task.
- Near transfer: improvement on very similar tasks.
- Far transfer: improvement on broader abilities (like general reasoning).
Near transfer is common. Far transfer is harder to demonstrate.
Why most brain training programs fail
Many programs:
- train narrow tasks,
- measure improvement on similar tasks,
- then claim broad real-life benefits.
That doesn't mean training is worthless; it means claims should match evidence.
What the evidence supports (the cautious version)
Large reviews suggest:
- You can improve on trained tasks.
- There may be some improvements on related measures.
- Broad "IQ increases" are not guaranteed.
If you're specifically interested in n-back and IQ, read Does n-back increase IQ?.
How to get value anyway
The productive way to use brain training is to pick a task that trains a skill you care about.
For example, n-back trains updating and interference control under load.
- Learn the task: What is the n-back task?
- Train with a routine: How to train n-back (4-week plan)
- Avoid mistakes: N-back training mistakes
If your goal is focus, read Can n-back improve focus?.
If you want the underlying concepts:
A better promise
The best promise is not "your IQ will go up".
The best promise is:
"You can practice attention control and working-memory updating in a measurable way."
That can support real-life performance when paired with good systems.
See How to improve working memory.
Try Cogniba
If you want structured training with progress tracking:
Next Reading
Further reading
- Simons et al. (2016). https://doi.org/10.1177/1529100616661983