The science of brain training (what helps, what doesn’t)
“Brain training” gets sold like a miracle. The truth is more boring — and more useful: small daily practice can improve specific skills, especially the things you repeatedly exercise. Big claims (“raise IQ”, “prevent decline”) are where the evidence gets shakier.
What brain training reliably improves
The safest, most honest version is: you get better at what you practice. Train quick pattern recognition and you improve pattern recognition. Train holding constraints in mind and you improve that skill.
Attention
Short, focused tasks can help you practise staying on one thing (especially if you do it consistently and without multitasking).
Working memory
Puzzles make you hold constraints in mind (rules, patterns, “what’s ruled out”) and update them after feedback. That “hold + update” loop is a real mental rep.
Processing speed (sometimes)
Repetition improves how fast you recognise familiar patterns — but the biggest gains are usually in tasks similar to your practice.
The part people get wrong: “transfer”
Transfer means: “I trained one thing and it improved lots of other things.” This is where the evidence is mixed.
- Near transfer (similar tasks) is more likely.
- Far transfer (very different real-world outcomes) is harder to prove.
That doesn’t make puzzles pointless. It reframes the goal: don’t treat a daily game like a cure-all — treat it like a tiny training rep plus a habit anchor.
So why NumberGlyph?
NumberGlyph is a calm daily routine that trains constraint-tracking, pattern elimination, and “focus for two minutes” without feeling like homework.
The win is not “become a genius overnight”. The win is: you show up daily, get a small rep in, and you feel a bit sharper.
A simple plan that actually works
1) Keep it small
1–3 minutes beats 30 minutes you won’t do.
2) Consistency > intensity
Daily is the whole point. Habits compound.
3) Use it as a “reset”
Play when you feel scattered. It’s a quick focus reset.
Note: General information, not medical advice. Evidence for “brain training” is mixed — the safest bet is a small routine you enjoy and will stick with.