Unexpected Side Effect: Brain Fitness Makes You Happier
Posted by Jim Hanekamp | Posted in Aging, Brain, Brain games, Cognitive games, Memory, Mental exercise | Posted on 26-06-2009
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In a study published in The Journals of Gerontology (Medical Sciences), researchers found that a brain fitness program measured initially for its impact on cognitive abilities in older adults also had a significant beneficial impact on symptoms of depression.
The findings are part of an ongoing study of older Americans funded by the National Institutes of Health and known as the Advanced Cognitive Training for Independent and Vital Elderly (ACTIVE) study. With 2,832 participants, the ACTIVE study is the largest community-based multi-site randomized controlled trial ever conducted that focuses on maintaining or improving cognitive abilities of older people.
Read the rest of this article at:Brain Fitness


I’ve experienced benefits to my mental well being or happiness level from brain training. This makes sense when we consider that depression and stress have been linked to the inhibition of neurogenesis (brain cell production) — brain training stimulates neurogenesis which will tend to help counteract the effects of stress. (This is the same thing that anti-depressants do in a drug form.)
martin