Forget Brain Fog: The 5-Minute Daily Habit That Sharpens Your Mind

Guest contributor: Tim K.

To the non-gamer, especially, it may appear on the surface that you’re in a “zombified” state as you immerse yourself in your favorite game. Actually, the opposite is true.

Fascinating neuropsychology research is continuing to chip away at the stereotypes often levied at gamers like us, who have been told that this game or that game will “rot our brains.” Well, look who’s wagging the finger now, because many studies now suggest that playing games can offer cognitive benefits.

To be more specific, gaming within certain parameters (an 8-hour binge won’t do you any favors) has been proven a fitting remedy for brain fog. Read on to learn more about this recently uncovered connection and how to take advantage of it yourself.

You may not have known the name for it at the time, but you’ve probably experienced brain fog at some point in your life. Brain fog is a bit of an umbrella term, meaning it refers to multiple potentially overlapping issues, including difficulty concentrating, forgetfulness, confusion, mental fatigue, and inability to find the right words.

Brain fog in itself is not an officially diagnosed condition. Still, it is widely recognized as a consequence of various issues (some of which interact with one another).

These causes include, but are not limited to, the following:

● Stress

● Sleep deprivation

● Poor nutrition or hunger

● Hormonal changes

● Various medical (primarily neurological) condition

If you haven’t noticed, pretty much everybody fits into at least one of those categories at some point in their life. But as mentioned, there’s a handy and fun solution to brain fog that just might surprise you: the micro-gaming session.

A landmark study conducted by Western and the Science and Industry Museum, known as the Brain and Body Study, concluded that playing games can improve cognitive function.

Just like brain fog, cognition is an umbrella term referring to several key functions that the brain relies on to gain and process knowledge, understand the world around it, and perform other vital processes. The study found that people who played video games regularly scored on cognitive tests as if they were an average of 13.7 years younger than their actual age.

In other words, micro-gaming sessions can have a “de-aging” effect of sorts on the brain, which makes a lot of sense when you think about it.

Depending on the game you’re playing, many of your brain’s more advanced abilities and capacities are being challenged. Whether you’re gauging how close that enemy fighter jet is crashing into you or trying to remember which tiles are where on that 3D puzzle game, games require you to flex your spatial skills, memory, timing, judgment, and more.

It seems like we get a new study on the benefits of short gaming sessions every day, like this University of Arkansas study that demonstrated the attention-boosting effects of micro-gaming sessions. In addition to improvements in attention span, shorter gaming sessions are also believed to enhance task-switching ability, also known as multitasking.

As for the particular type of game that you should prioritize in your daily micro-gaming sessions, most games promote one or more aspects of cognition. Action games promote timing, judgment, attention, and spatial awareness. In contrast, puzzle and matching games promote problem-solving, math, and language skills, as well as other abilities.

There’s also a mental health benefit attached to many games. After all, who among us gamers hasn’t felt the resplendent relief of a calm, quiet gaming session after a hectic day? Games with chill gameplay, scenic backgrounds, and equally mellowed-out music do the trick in this case.

After each micro-gaming session, jot down a few notes. How mentally alert do you feel? Was your focus better before or after the session? Did you suddenly remember things you had forgotten until now? You can also use a simple 1-10 scale for consistency.

Logging your mental clarity after each session is key to leveraging micro-gaming for cognitive improvements. It also gives you the data you need to make key adjustments. For example, are some games more effective than others when it comes to improving your focus? Do certain games leave you feeling jittery or overstimulated? Paying attention to these trends will maximize your brain-boosting power.

Your brain doesn’t operate at the same level of attentiveness and energy throughout the day. Like your sleep cycle, brain activity follows an inevitable ebb and flow, or rhythm. During cognitive peaks, your brain is loaded with dopamine and ready to focus. These peak times occur during mid-morning (9 to 11 AM).

In other words, get your session in early and experience the most significant boost. While you’re playing, don’t forget to drop some tips and tricks for the rest of us in the comments! Our advice to the Arkadium newbie? Don’t get hung up on one title alone. We’ve got dozens of arcade titles, strategy games, sudoku games, and more for you to explore.