Question 1

What exactly is BrainGym?

Accepted Answer

BrainGym is a cognitive training platform: a gym for your mind. Instead of lifting weights, you train five core thinking skills (pattern recognition, working memory, logical reasoning, cognitive flexibility, and processing speed) through three structured modules: active audiobooks (Treadmill), deep-thinking puzzles (Heavy Lifting), and interactive stories about great thinkers (Daily Nutrition).

Question 2

How is BrainGym different from Lumosity, Elevate, or Peak?

Accepted Answer

Most brain-training apps use quick, game-like tasks designed to be addictive: tap fast, get a streak, feel good. BrainGym is deliberately harder and slower. Puzzles take 2-3 minutes, not 10 seconds. Stories pause for embedded questions, and you have to actually reason before continuing. The difficulty is the product, not a bug. We also publish what the research does and does not support, instead of promising IQ gains.

Question 3

Will this make me smarter?

Accepted Answer

Honestly: probably not in the way that phrase usually means. Current evidence (Simons 2016, Melby-Lervåg 2016, Redick 2013) shows cognitive training reliably improves the trained tasks themselves; broad transfer to unrelated abilities is not well supported. What you can expect: you will get measurably better at sustaining attention, recognising patterns in BrainGym puzzles, and sitting with hard problems instead of skipping them. That habit of slow thinking is itself worth building. See /methodology for the full version.

Question 4

Do I need any background or special knowledge to start?

Accepted Answer

No. Every module has difficulty tiers. Beginners start with shorter, more concrete sessions and work up. The Treadmill has beginner sessions under two minutes. Heavy Lifting starts with approachable pattern-recognition puzzles. Stories guide you through the reasoning so you do not need to know answers in advance.

Question 5

How long should I train each day?

Accepted Answer

A single session in any module takes 3 to 10 minutes. We recommend one session per module daily, around 15 to 20 minutes total. Consistency matters more than duration. Three short daily sessions beat one weekly marathon, the same way it works at a real gym.

Question 6

Is BrainGym free?

Accepted Answer

Yes. All modules, all difficulty levels, and all content are free at the moment. The product is open and we keep it that way until there is a clear reason to gate something behind a paywall.

Question 7

Do you sell my data?

Accepted Answer

No. We use Supabase for authentication and Sentry for error reporting. We do not sell, share, or rent personal data to third parties. The cognitive metrics you generate are yours.

Question 8

Can I try BrainGym without creating an account?

Accepted Answer

Yes. The /try route is a guest demo of one Treadmill session: full audio, focus checkpoints, no signup. It takes about two minutes.

Question 9

What does a Treadmill session actually do?

Accepted Answer

Treadmill plays a short, narrated piece using browser text-to-speech. The text is on screen, words highlight as they are spoken, and at three to five points the audio pauses for a short multiple-choice "focus check" tied to what was just said. Tabbing away pauses the session. The point is to train sustained attention while listening, the way a real audiobook never bothers to.

Question 10

Is the puzzle answer just lookup-able on Google?

Accepted Answer

No. We deliberately reject any item solvable by recall or a quick search. Every puzzle requires construction or reasoning across the given inputs. If you can google the answer, the puzzle has been cut.

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