Mind Games Catching On

Aging baby boomers are fueling a brain fitness boom.

There is a growing market in “brain fitness” spurred by aging baby boomers. People, young and old, are turning to an explosive of brain-assisting video games, such as Nintendo's Brain Age; puzzles that help to prevent dementia; Sudoku and crosswords; and brain-training tips on the web.

There are so many things that people can do wi9th their brain than what they think is possible. It seems that the brain fitness boom may sound counter-intuitive in an age when technology has eased memory stress: Cellphones that store phone numbers, GPS systems that give directions, PDAs that organize day-to-day activities.

The brain fitness software market reached US225 million in revenues last year as reported by a leading market research firm. Part of this increase was driven by Nintendo's Brain Age game and also partly due to the convergence of a very proactive boomer generation hitting their 60s.

These baby boomers have watched their parents struggle with Alzheimer's and an estimated 10 million will probably suffer the same fate. They will be prone to neurological disease that seem to be prevalent.

Brain fitness programs emphasize on drilling the specific cognitive abilities such as concentrating and retaining information. Challenging the brain by learning new things can ward off the cognitive decline that comes with ageing. However, no one brain exercise is guaranteed to work for everyone.

Some computer-based programs such as Lumosity, an online brain fitness program may help to think faster, focus better and remember more. Memory techniques are also good in helping people to organize their brains in a way that can retain more information in the heads.

For now, the brain fitness market is poised to reach US2 billion by 2015. In future, one can engage the services of a “certified brain coach” or find brain fitness programs implemented in the workplace.

On the whole, people just want to find something that is mentally challenging and fun and do it regularly.

Mind Games Catching On

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