Friday, Jul 24, 2026 The claims desk. Receipts included. POWERED BY LENZ ↗
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SCIENCE

The Claim

Brain training apps improve general cognitive function beyond the specific tasks they train.

Verified by Lenz ·

The Short Version

The weight of high-quality, independent evidence contradicts this claim. Large-scale studies, systematic reviews, and meta-analyses consistently find that brain training apps produce, at best, near-transfer gains on closely related tasks — not reliable improvements in general cognitive function. A few supportive RCTs involve specific clinical populations or narrow domains and do not justify the broad, unqualified assertion. A consensus statement signed by over 70 neuroscientists has specifically warned against such generalized claims.

Caveats

  • Large-scale syntheses and meta-analyses consistently report null or negligible 'far transfer' — the very type of improvement the claim asserts.
  • Supportive studies cited involve specific clinical populations (e.g., mild cognitive impairment, ADHD) or narrow cognitive domains, not general cognitive function in the broad population.
  • Several sources appearing to support the claim originate from commercial brain training companies (Lumosity, BrainHQ, CogniFit) with direct financial conflicts of interest.

The Receipts

  1. Cognitive Training Mobile Apps for Older Adults With Cognitive Impairment: Systematic Quality Evaluation Using the Mobile App Rating Scale

    NIH/PMC (National Center for Biotechnology Information)

  2. A Large-Scale, Cross-Sectional Investigation Into the Efficacy of Brain Training

    PMC

  3. A randomized controlled trial of brain training with non-action video games enhances cognitive performance

    PMC

  4. Exploring transfer effects on memory and its neural mechanisms through a computerized cognitive training in mild cognitive impairment: randomized controlled trial - PMC

    PMC

  5. Efficacy of a Web App for Cognitive Training (MeMo) Regarding Cognition and Behavior in Patients With Mild and Major Neurocognitive Disorders: Randomized Controlled Trial

    JMIR (Journal of Medical Internet Research)

  6. Can brain training smartphone apps and computer games really help you stay sharp?

    Harvard Health Publishing

  7. Digital game-based interventions for cognitive training in healthy adults and adults with cognitive impairment: A systematic review and meta-analysis protocol

    NIH/PMC (National Center for Biotechnology Information)

  8. Cognitive Consequences of Short and Long Term Training with Lumosity

    eScholarship

  9. Can cognitive training capitalise on near transfer effects? Limited evidence of transfer following online inhibition training in a randomised-controlled trial | PLOS One

    PLOS One

  10. Brain training using cognitive apps can improve cognitive function: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

    NIH/PMC (National Center for Biotechnology Information)

+ 22 more sources — see the full list on Lenz

Filed Under

Brain TrainingCognitive FunctionLumosity