The result: The kids’ attention span improved immediately after the session and showed significant lasting improvements in the overall performance after a 4-month training course.

Is brain training better than tutoring?

Over the course of four months, 200 participants performed a brain-training course three times a week. The results are promising: compared to an untrained control group, the children significantly improved their performance at school material. The scientists explain this finding with the Priming Effect.

In psychology, Priming is the activation of associations based on previous experience. In solving brain-training tasks, the kids reached a higher degree of concentration and were able to directly learn and retain new information.

Remarkable is the lasting effect of the brain boost. The analyzed effect is more significant compared to studies, which examined the impact of tutoring. These findings may indicate that brain training can improve children’s learning ability even better than tutoring.

Warm up the brain and stay on top

Learning from the study: Warm up your brain before cognitive tasks. In just 5 minutes, brain training prepares our brain for upcoming tasks and improves performance. Feel the study-proven effect and get your brain to the right temperature with NeuroNation brain training.

Along with this metaphor, it has been thought that learning happens when the root of one tree and the trunk of another tree are active at the same time. The simultaneous activation is made possible by the branches that transfer the information from one tree to the next.

Our brain is 10 times more active than scientists could imagine

However, in a recently published study, a research group from the University of California could show, that information transfer through the branches is not as passive as has been previously thought. Rather, the branches have a very active role themselves in learning processes, such that they actively take part in computing and not just transferring signals. Therefore, they allow learning to take place without the “tree trunk” having to be active.

Why is this finding interesting and important? Firstly, the branches make up over 90 % of our brain tissue. With these new findings, it has become clear, that the most part of our brain, that was previously thought to just transfer information, actually acts as mini-computers constantly computing information. In other words, while previously information computation was thought to happen merely in each tree trunk, we now know that each branch of each tree does their own computations, multiplying the information processing potential of our brain.

Second, the calculation methods were different in the branches than in the trunk. While the trunk works rigidly like a digital computer that processes information in an “all-or-nothing” fashion (they either create a signal or not), the branches additionally perform analog computations, which scientists could not measure. Therefore, it is not just that the brain’s processing capacity is larger than previously thought, but also the flexibility of calculations is what our digital and analog computers can do combined.

These new findings have revolutionized our understanding of our own information processing system. Not only is it now possible to use these findings to improve computational technologies, as quantum computers, according to the new models from our brain, but the findings also open new doors into developing new treatments for neurological diseases.

Over 18 million brains are activated with NeuroNation personal brain coach

Science can show us, how the activity of our brain is processed and how we can benefit, but the first step is always to start activating our brains on a daily basis.

With NeuroNation in your hand, you can do it wherever you are, personalized just for your brain.

Scientists have of course for many years examined what makes a child prodigy. Two groups of scientists have formed from these studies, and both groups have developed their own theory.

What is a child prodigy?

A child prodigy is either highly intelligent or naturally talented in one or multiple fields. For example, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was a child prodigy who started to compose music at the age of five. Scientists aren’t sure yet if being a child prodigy comes from their genetics or is simply formed through a good upbringing.

Nature versus Nurture

The first group of researchers believes that prodigies possess a gentic specialty, whereas the other group is of the opinion that it is due to their family environment and social background that these children become such geniuses. This nature versus nurture dilemma is exemplified by two famous prodigies: Carl Gauss, one of the most influential mathematicians in history, came from a humble upbringing, while Mozart, on the other hand, came from a priviledged background and was given early childhood private lessons, which might explain why he grew to greatness.

Intelligence, Working Memory or Perhaps Autism?

More recently, science has started to examine the factors that may lead to excellence. Could it be general intelligence, working memory (which is a part of intelligence), or a type of autism (Asperger’s syndrome)? Indeed, previous studies have found that individuals diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome are often highly talented. To examine the features of child prodigies, scientists Joanne Ruthsatz and Jourdan Urbach interviewed 8 child prodigies who excelled in art, math or music. To test intelligence, the children were given Stanford-Binet IQ tests [1].

A higher IQ

As expected, these genius children were found to have IQ scores greater than the general population – 128 compared to the population average of 100. One child was only slightly above the population average with a score of 108. Overall, it can be said that child prodigies are indeed intelligent, but not as intelligent as we would have expected. Furthermore, in terms of autism, the highly talented prodgies do not differ significantly from the rest of the population.

The Difference Lies in Working Memory

When analyzing the working memories of the prodigies, scientists came across an amazing result. Each of the eight prodigies had a working memory which put them in the top 1% of the population and each of them made it to the top 99th percentile in terms of working memory capacity.
Our working memory is important for a number of tasks in our everyday life – its main task is to memorize and store information and keep several pieces of information at once in our head. Learn new things, make logical decisions and recall pieces of information which we’ve stored away in our memories – all of these are tasks our working memory masters. A typical situation in which we need our working memory is when someone tells us a phone number but we don’t have anything to write it down on so we have to keep it in mind for a little while until we find a pen and a piece of paper. Our working memory capacities are highly correlated with our intelligence.

The good news: you can improve your working memory

While most of us are too old to become child prodigies, we can still improve our working memories through training. It has been shown that brain training, as offered by NeuroNation, can improve working memory performance permanently and significantly. In other words, the ability to learn is not set in stone, but can be improved by targeted training designed specifically for you.

NeuroNation brain exercises are based on the latest scientific findings to give you the best training you can find. It is designed to adapt to your personal needs and your individual performance. No other brain training company invests so much time in developing brain training with such strong scientific background. Research from the Free University Berlin, the Technical University Dortmund and Edith Cowan University in Australia make up the basis of our training. We are currently involved in several other collaborations to continuously improve our exercises so that you can enjoy the best brain training there is.

Scientists are still figuring out many new things about the brain and how to improve our memory. We do know that a lot of people struggle to remember things, and in many different ways. Perhaps you’re forgetting appointments or answering your emails, or picking up the dry cleaning on your way home. Let’s take a look at what’s really going on in your brain, and see what memory games can help you train your brain to be a little better at remembering faces and names.

Fun Name Memory Game

A great way to break the ice is a fun name memory game in which a group has the chance to remember the names of all participants.

For the name memory game, the first person says their name and their favourite thing. The second person has to repeat the name and the thing of player one, and adds their name and favourite thing too. This continues and adds up until a player misses someone’s name or thing.

Through this memory game, people can learn the names of all players and also discover a bit about their interests, which helps with remembering and promotes social interaction.

Why you remember what you remember

According to a study from MIT, what you remember depends on how meaningful that memory is to you and if you can connect it to other knowledge or other memories [1]. If you can make a relation between a memory and something else, there is a larger chance that you will remember it later on. Like learning, memory is all about context.
That is why pattern recognition is so important. Essentially, the more connections a new memory has to memories which already exist, the more likely you will remember that information. The same goes for making new memories.

Memory games can help you

Many people have trouble remembering faces or names. Have you ever gone to a really important meeting and couldn’t remember someone’s name there? Or introduced two friends at a party and referred to one as a ‘he’ instead of saying their name? Remembering a person’s name is flattering and people appreciate it when you do, and that is why it is so important that you make up memory games to make sure that your memory will not fail.

Try to find an unusual feature – ears, hairline, forehead, eyebrows, eyes, nose, mouth, chin, complexion, etc. and then create an association between that characteristic, the face, and the name in your mind. The association might link that person to someone else you know. Alternatively you could find a rhyme or image that fits with the name or the person’s appearance.

When you are first introduced to someone new, ask the other person to repeat their name or find a way to see it written. A business card, or adding the person on Facebook or LinkedIn always helps to improve the memory, especially if the technique involves using visual memory. If the name is unusual, you can be fairly sure they get asked by many people for more details on their names origin and spelling. Keep in mind that the more often you hear and see the name, the more likely it will sink in. After you say goodbye, review the name in your mind several times or write it down on a piece of paper. This will help you improve your memory, getting you ready for the next time you meet, so you will smile with relief when their name comes out of your mouth correctly.

Next steps

This memory game is both simple and beneficial.

If you actually want a real challenge for your memory, try NeuroNation’s “Path Finder”. This memory game is based on an exercise created by Professor Joni Homes of Cambridge University. The aim of this exercise is to go over your steps, record the information in the short memory and then recall back the steps taken. This exercise, together with other brain games of NeuroNation, will train your ability to recall back information from the short memory, like the names of people you just met. Remembering a new acquaintance’s name can earn you many points when it comes to business deals and establishing new friendships, so try these tips together with the Neuronation brain exercises today and see how they help you improve your memory.

Studies on intelligence

Study: Can training executive functions (cognitive functioning) produce transfer effects?

Results: The study at the Saarland University demonstrated that increasing fluid intelligence and other executive functions is possible at any age with brain training.

Source: Karbach J, Kray J., How useful is executive control training? Age differences in near and far transfer of task-switching training. Dev Sci. 2009 Nov;12(6):978-90. doi: 10.1111/j.1467-7687.2009.00846.x.

Study: Should brain training exercises be different for adults and children?

Results: The study at the Duke University in Durham found that children who improved their working memory with training increased their scores in untrained intelligence tasks, just as adults did.

Source: Jaeggi SM, Buschkuehl M, Jonides J, Shah P.Proc; Short- and long term benefits of cognitive training; Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2011 Jun 21;108(25):10081-6. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1103228108. Epub 2011 Jun 13

Study: Can training of participant’s working memory capacity in certain areas bring about transfer effects?

Results: The study conducted at the University of Zurich found that transfer effects directly corresponded to participant’s improvements in the brain training tasks. These improvements were only observed in areas which the training targeted, and were still seen 6 months after training.

Source: von Bastian C., Oberauer K., (2013)Distinct transfer effects of training different facets of working memory capacity; Journal of Memory and Language July 2013; 69(1): 36-58. doi: 10.1016 / j.jml.2013.02.002

Distinct transfer effects of training different facets of working memory capacity

Study: Can cognitive training generate transfer effects?

Results: A study at the Columbia University in New York found improvements in participant’s fluid intelligence, even in areas unrelated to the training tasks. In addition, the improvements were dosage dependant – the more training participants did, the more benefits they saw.

Source: Jaeggi, S. M., Buschkuehl, M., Jonides, J., Perrig, W. J. (2008). Improving fluid intelligence with training on working memory. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 105, 6829–6833. doi: 10.1073/pnas.0801268105

Study: Can intelligence training be beneficial in old age?

Results: A study at the Pennsylvania State University found improvements in elderly persons  thinking and learning abilities. Participants aged between 70-80 years performed better in figural relations tests 7 years following their first training session.

Source: Willis, L.S., Nesselroade, S., Long-Term effects of fluid ability training in old-old age, Developmental Psychology 1990, doi: Vol. 26(6), 905-910

Study: Can working memory improve in old age, and are the benefits sustainable over time?

Results: The study examined participants aged 65-75 years, and observed improvements in fluid intelligence and processing speed eight months after the training with brain games was complete.

Source: Borella, E., Carretti, B., Riboldi, F., De Beni, R. (2010). Working memory training in older adults: Evidence of transfer and maintenance effects. Psychol. Aging 25, 767–778. doi: 10.1037/a0020683.

Study: What should the ideal brain training regime consist of, in order to improve users memory and intelligence?

Results: Brain training produced improvements in episodic memory and fluid intelligence. The more improvements observed in training, the larger the gains were in the tests following the training.

Source: Rudebeck, S., Bor, D., Ormond, A., O’Reilly, J., Lee, A. (2012).  A potential spatial working memory training task to improve both episodic memory and fluid intelligence. PLoS One. 2012;7(11):e50431. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0050431. 

Study: Does working memory training affect participant’s fluid intelligence, and how do these effects change the way the brain functions?

Results: Those who did brain training saw improvements on all dimensions of their fluid intelligence. This was thought to be due to changes in the brain’s working memory maintenance and processes directed by central executive. Changes in participant’s long term memory may also have been observed, but further research is needed.

Source: Jaušovec, N., Jaušovec, K. (2012) Working memory training: Improving intelligence – Changing brain activity. Brain and Cognition;79(2):96-106. doi: 10.1016/j.bandc.2012.02.007. 

Study: Does cognitive training produce improvements in user’s intellectual competence in adulthood and old age?

Results: Training brought about cognitive improvements in both young (20-31 years) and old (65-80 years) participants.

Source: Schmiedek F., Lövdén M., Lindenberger U. (2010). Hundred days of cognitive training enhance broad cognitive abilities in adulthood: Findings from the COGITO study, Front Aging Neurosci.; 2(27). doi: 10.3389 / fnagi.2010.00027

Study: Is the single n-back test as effective as the dual n-back test in producing transferable results?

Results: Both groups who trained with single n-back and dual n-back tasks showed significantly larger improvements in their fluid intelligence than the control groups, indicating that both tasks require similar cognitive functioning and produce similar results.

Source: Jaeggi, S.M., Studer, B., Buschkuehl, M., Su, Y.F., Jonides, J., & Perrig, W.J. (2010).The relationship between n-back performance and matrix reasoning – implications for training and transfer. Intelligence;  38(6), 625-635.

Study: What makes some children prodigies?

Results: Prodigy children did not exhibit off-the-charts IQ scores, but they scored in the top 99th percentile for working memory tests.

Source: Ruthsatz, J., & Urbach, J. B. (2012). Child prodigy: A novel cognitive profile places elevated general intelligence, exceptional working memory and attention to detail at the root of prodigiousness. Intelligence; 40(5), 419-426.

1.   Learn from your mistakes

Everything we do, from our first breath to the moment in which we die, is a matter of trial and error. A baby cannot learn to walk without falling down first, and we cannot do better at work if we don’t know what to improve. Errors are actually how the brain learns; when we make decisions, neurons are activated, and if these decisions turn out to be wrong, the activated neurons are subsequently suppressed [1]. Smart people reflect on these errors, and work to ensure that they do not happen again – it just takes a smart person to realize when a decision is wrong.

2.   Re-evaluate your views

The greatest minds of all time have re-evaluated their initial theories. When we think of intelligent, famous people, scientists usually come to mind – because scientists have to adapt to the constant stream of new discoveries influencing their life’s work. Take Einstein, who altered his theory of general relativity, and famously said “we cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them”. The same can be said for Stephen Hawking, who initially thought nothing can escape a black hole, but later published work contradicting his original theory. Train your brain to adapt to new situations and information – you will only get smarter with time.

3.   Recover from failures

The most intelligent of people make mistakes – renowned filmmakers release box office flops, and manufactures put products on the market which fail. It may feel humiliating and unpleasant when an idea which you think is genius is unsuccessful, but this happens to the best of us.

Without failure, the successes would not be so exhilarating. Famous and successful people who experienced obstacles include Arianna Huffington, co-founder of the Huffington Post,  whose second book was rejected by 36 publishers, as well as J.K. Rowling, whose Harry Potter books were rejected 12 times before she became one of the most successful authors of all time. If Huffington and Rowling didn’t push so hard, they never would have achieved the success they have today.

4.   Make your own luck

Nobody achieved anything monumental just waiting for it to happen. Making smart decisions takes effort – you need to read, do your research, and work to achieve your goals. When you pour your heart and soul into a project, you know that it is your hard work which gets you to the finish line, and not simply because the stars aligned. What’s more, working hard and making your own success is the key secret to hapiness, as a series of studies by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi found [2]. Nelson Mandela once said that “the greatest glory in living life is not in never falling, but in rising everytime we fall”.

5.   Push for what you believe in

A smart person knows when to push for what they believe in and stick to it, even if the situation takes a turn for the worst. Intelligent people are like rubber bands – anything can happen and they can adapt to the change. There is a huge difference between not doing something because you might fail, and doing something despite the risk. If you know that your idea has potential, push for what you believe in. “Life is like riding a bicycle, in order to keep your balance, you must keep moving” said Albert Einstein. Fight for your chance to shine, even if a critic only has a “gut feeling”, because if someone else believes in your vision, you might just achieve your goals.

6.   Know that actions speak louder than words

We all know someone who likes to say how great they are. But intelligent people know that their actions speak louder than words. A study found self evaluations to be not nearly as accurate as evaluations made by other people, who had watched the participants conduct conversations [3]. If you want to be taken seriously and respected by coworkers and friends, let your hard work prove your worth.

Become a more intelligent person today

We all want to be intelligent, and despite what you may think, intelligence is not a fixed trait determined at birth. Work hard and fight for your success, and challenge your brain every day to achieve your full potential.

It is well known that physical exercise leads to a longer and happier life. So what about exercise for your brain? According to the latest findings in Neuroscience, your brain reaches its peak performance at 16-25 years, and thereafter cognitive functioning declines [1]. For most of us, these are not so great news. But the better news is that no matter how old you are or what your profession is, science shows that training with brain exercises can in fact benefit you. The key to success? Specifically tailored courses to meet your personal needs. Which is where we come in.

Personalized brain exercises

People often try to keep their brains active using Sudoku or crosswords. And while these are certainly all fun and games, they are unfortunately not very effective in training your brain. Science has come up with a far better way to stay mentally active: personalized brain exercises!

NeuroNation targets and challenges your memory, logic, attention, and verbal skills through a variety of brain exercises based on scientific research. With time you will get better at the exercises, which will positively affect your everyday life, as demonstrated by Dr. Sherry Willis, Professor at the University of Texas [2]. Willis found that with brain training, individuals became more efficient at performing everyday tasks of varying complexity – from writing a shopping list to operating technical equipment. She also reported that their memory improved and the enhancements lasted up to five years following the workout.

Brain training benefits everyone

But the best part is that brain training is for everyone. Recently, the extensive COGITO Study at the Max-Planck Institute demonstrated that training with brain exercises improves working memory for people of all age groups [3]. In total,101 young adults aged 21-30 years and 103 older adults aged 65-80 years participated in the study. Both groups underwent a total of 100 hours of training with brain exercises, focusing on working memory, processing speed and memory. Another study revealed that brain training can benefit your brain even after the first few signs of dementia have set in. Dr. Sylvie Belleville, Professor at the University Institute of Gériatrie de Montréal, has studied brain exercises as a preventative measure for the onset of Alzheimers Disease [4]. Belleville and her colleagues discovered that training with brain games can improve the memory of people with mild cognitive impairments, including those showing the first signs of dementia. These studies and others clearly suggest that your brain is trainable, if the training is tailored to your individual needs.

Ingredients for an effective brain training

There are a number of characteristics which make brain training effective. NeuroNation has incorporated all of them into the courses we design for you.

1. Personalized

When you sign up for NeuroNation, we ask you to take a test to assess your performance so we can personalize your training and make it unique for you. Studies have shown that in the beginning, you should be reasonably challenged but not overwhelmed by the brain exercises. Maximum results can only be achieved when you work at your personal best – so we tailor our course to fit you.

2. Goal specific

Each brain exercise NeuroNation offers is designed to target the specific brain functions you need in your everyday life. We will provide you with exercises that meet exactly these goals. With NeuroNation, your brain will be fit in no time!

3. Motivating

As with anything in life, practice makes perfect – the more you train, the better you become. We therefore recommend daily training sessions with our brain exercises of around 15 minutes. Motivation is the magic word here. Try getting your friends and family to join you and see who gets the higher score. Having someone to train with will make it that much more motivating. Brain training is beneficial for all ages, so anyone can join you – and a little bit of competition never hurt anyone.

4. Challenging

Studies have shown that if a task does not increase in difficulty, your brain will become bored and start to automatise the process. So after a while, you will not be challenged anymore. The more you play Sudoku, the better you get, but your brain is no longer challenged once you get good at it. This is because the brain restructures itself – mastering a challenge and automatising it to be ready for the next one. Although this is great for tasks we have to do on a regular basis, such as driving a car or riding a bike, your brain needs new challenges to stay fit. The level of our brain exercises increases with each game you play, to keep your brain challenged at all times and working at its peak performance.

Conclusion: Your brain can be trained

Intelligence is not a fixed characteristic that you are simply born with. Here at NeuroNation, we work hard to keep your brain on its toes, to ensure that you can reach your fullest potential. Whether you want to improve your memory, become more intelligent or have a better attention span – we are here to help you. Give it a go and start training with us today.

Understanding the psychology behind what good communication consists of can help us to develop new habits and to get our message across more effectively.

This is why we have 4 tips for you, that show how to communicate effectively.

What is Effective Communication

Effective communication means the successful exchange of thoughts, knowledge and ideas between a sender and a receiver. Communication occurs not only verbally but also non-verbally and its effectiveness can be enhanced with our 4 Tips.

1. Establish and maintain eye contact

Eye contact plays a crucial role in communication. Looking at another person is a way of getting feedback on particular points. It is also used as a synchronizing signal. 

People tend to look up at the end of their sentences, looking for feedback and giving their partner a chance to take over the conversation. There is often eye contact during attempted interruptions, laughing, and when answering short questions.

We also look up at the end of grammatical breaks. Hitchhikers, salespeople, charity-tin shakers, and others maximize eye contact to increase attention.

Eye contact is therefore a crucial part of how we communicate effectively.

A lack of eye contact, on the other hand, signals embarrassment (we look away to break the conversation), punishment of bad behavior or a lack of fluidity in our thought process.  

People look at each other 75% of the time when talking, but only 40% of the time when listening. One looks to get and keep the attention of others. The socially dominant look more when speaking than the socially awkward. 

These are just a few examples, but there is a lot of literature out there on the importance of eye contact, and its meaning [1].

2. Try to send a clear message

There is a huge difference between just saying something and saying something with intention. Say words which are meaningful and will drive the point home. 

Keep the goal in mind – whether you are in a job interview, business meeting or having a conversation with your partner. When you know where you’re going with your words, it is much more likely that your message will come across crystal clear.

3. Be receptive to what others say

Many of us go into conversations with a clear agenda of what we want. While it is good to start speaking and listening with a clear goal, remember to be flexible. 

If they don’t say exactly what you’re expecting to hear – adapt. While they’re speaking, listen actively and with full attention, and let your conversation partner know that you are actively listening. It is important to be an active listener, and to not tune out when the conversation isn’t going your way.

While trying to understand what the other is trying to say or what they feel, your communication automatically gets better – no matter if your interpretation is correct [2].

4. Wait for the other person to finish

We all know someone who likes to talk without listening; who seems to think that what they have to say is as fascinating to everyone else around them; who doesn’t seem to understand that listening is an important part of communicating and connecting with others.

The best communicators know that there is a kind of give and take between talking and listening, a sharing of who is speaker and who is listener based on mutual respect and caring about each other’s feelings. 

Some people talk about themselves because they genuinely think they’re more interesting than anyone else they know. But many people are overwhelmed by their own feelings and push them away. Either way, monologues send the wrong message to your listener, while a two-way conversation brings people closer.

Never underestimate the power of good communication. Often, people in management or with power – a politician, a doctor, or a strict mother – are excellent communicators. Listen to your speaking partner, give them signals that you are engaged, and speak with a clear message. You will see the difference.

Bonus Tip: a trained Working Memory can give you the edge

While communicating, our working memory receives information and has to process what has been said. With a trained working memory, it is easier to follow the thoughts of our conversation partner.

Therefore, a trained working memory is the key to communicating more effectively. NeuroNation offers a scientific brain training platform that can improve your working memory. You can try the app free of charge and train your brain with over 30 different exercises.

Imagine you’re sitting in a quiz show and the host asks you which city is the capital of Canada: Ottawa or Montreal. You’ve heard of both cities and know they’re both in Canada, but you can’t say for a fact which one is the capital. So, what do you do? 

Well, one option would be to listen to your instincts. Somehow, Ottawa comes more to mind when you think of the capital of Canada, so you presume you must have heard of it being the capital somewhere before. This type of decision-making is quick but potentially more prone to errors.

Option B: a detailed analysis

Alternatively, you could analyse all information you can think of regarding the capital of Canada, in the hope to find one bit of info that will lead you to the right answer. For example, the location of both cities could be a useful clue: you may recall that Montreal is in the Quebec region of Canada, whereas Ottawa lies right on the border between the Quebec region and the region of Ontario. It thus symbolises a compromise location between two competing Canadian regions and is therefore an ideal choice for a capital. With this approach, you analyse all useful pieces of information available in order to find the right answer.

Rational vs. irrational thinking

What’s our point with this, you’re thinking? Well, the thing is, the majority of our decisions are actually made without us considering all the relevant information beforehand and without us knowing whether the outcome of our decision will be good or bad.

For quite some time now, science has been studying the different ways in which we reach a decision, and one researcher who examined this matter, was even honoured with the Nobel Prize in Economics: In 2002, the psychologist Daniel Kahnemann was awarded for his research on human behaviour in situations of profit and loss [1]. He was able to prove that human behaviour is often irrational – which is contrary to what economists believed for many years. In an economical context, rational behaviour means profit maximization, whereas irrational behaviour identifies with a lack of profit maximization. Simply put: rational decision-making is analytical, considerate, and thought-out, whereas irrational decisions are intuitive, quick, and based on instincts.

In his later research, Kahnemann wanted to find out in which situations we make irrational decisions. His conclusion was that in general, humans follow two types of thinking: one is quicker and more error-prone, the other is slower and more thorough. According to his theory, the faster we think, the more irrational our thinking becomes. Conversely, the more time we spend on our thought process, the more rational our behaviour is.

Want to find out what type of thinker you are? Below we have gathered 5 questions that will help you find out. Some of these questions were even used by Kahenmann himself in his experiments! (The answers are at the bottom of this article):

1: There a water lilies on a lake. Each day, the amount of water lilies doubles. After 20 days, there are so many water lilies that the entire lake is covered. After how many days was half of the lake covered? [2]

2: A racket and a ball cost $1.10 in total. The racket costs $1 more than the ball. How much does the ball cost? [2]

3: There are two hospitals in a city, a small and a bigger one. In which of them is the likelihood higher of more boys than girls being born in one day? (Provided that girls and boys are on average born equally frequently). [2]

4: Marc looks at Anne, Anne looks at Simon. Marc is married, Simon is single. Does a married person look at an unmarried person? [3].

5: Five machines produce five plates in five hours. How much time do three machines need for three plates? [2].

If you answered several of these questions correctly, this indicates that you are a rational, slow thinker. If you didn’t think of the right answer to the questions, you most likely are an irrational, fast, and intuitive thinker. But no need to worry! Both types are of equal value, none of them is better than the other. They are simply different in their method, however not in their value.

Advocacy for fast thinking

In recent years, the German psychologist Gerd Gigerenzer made it his mission to defend fast thinking [4]. According to him, people who are fast thinkers save time, and achieve the same results in less time. If we go back to the above-mentioned example, Gigerenzer would argue that the fact that Ottawa comes more to your mind than Montreal when you think of the Canadian capital might be a good enough indicator for giving the correct answer. Therefore, basing your decision on only this factor leads to the same result in less time than evaluating all relevant information first. Of course, you could also think of several different criteria and include them all into your decision making process, hoping that one of them will bring you the right answer. However, in this case, your decision making would a.) take longer, and b.) still not guarantee the right answer.

Conclusion: Mistakes are relative

There is never a 100% guarantee you’ll make the right decision, no matter which decision making process you choose. All of us would admit that our decisions are not always free of mistakes. There is no sure way that guarantees a perfect outcome. That’s why, irrational and fast decision making is not necessarily wrong, as for example, not considering all available information before making a decision saves time. So next time you worry about making a decision too fast or too intuitively, remember an impulsive decision can sometimes be the more efficient option.

Answers:

1: After 19 days: A doubling of water lilies each day means that one day before the entire lake is covered, half of it will be covered.

2: 5 Cent: ball 5 Cent + racket $1.05 = $1.10

3: In the small hospital: A divergence from the average outcome is more likely, the smaller the number of cases.

4: Yes: If Anne is not married, the married Marc will look at her. If Anne is married, she will look at the unmarried Simon.

5: 5 hours: The amount of plates per machine remains the same.

Parents with different native languages often face a difficult question: Should they keep both languages involved in raising their children or rather teach them one language only and drop the other one? Naturally, parents would want to choose whatever is best for their child. But this is where it gets tricky: what actually is better for the child? This question has been hotly debated for a long time. Critics have claimed it is confusing for children to learn two languages at once. According to them, children who grow up multilingually are less able to master a single language perfectly. Instead, they speak several language imperfectly.

Science’s current status

However, many believe multilingualism to be a blessing for our language skills. If you have ever tried to learn a new language as a grown-up, chances are you may have been tempted to quit at one point or another. Trying to remember new and foreign-sounding vocabulary might still have been manageable but being able to speak your new language of desire without an accent? Not so much.
But what does science suggest today about multilingualism? What are the actual facts and what long-term effects does multilingualism have?

The benefits of monolingualism

A study examined the amount of words both monolingually and multilingually raised children knew in a language. The results were that children who grew up multilingually knew less words than their monolingually raised counterparts. Furthermore, their IQ was on average lower than children who grew up speaking only one language [1].

Insufficient evidence

A detailed analysis however puts these findings into perspective. Research shows that the initial difference in the amount of words known in a language by both groups is balanced out during primary school when multilingual and monolingual children follow the same education. Scientists mistakenly believed multilingual children to have a lower IQ than monolingual children because the multilingual children who participated in the above-mentioned study came from various (including socially disadvantaged) backgrounds, whereas the participating monolingual children all came from wealthy families. Thus, the initial difference found in their vocabulary was not a result of multilingualism but of the children’s different social backgrounds [1].

Multilingualism as a blessing

A child’s brain seems to benefit from growing up multilingually. Advantages are not only seen in language skills but also in other areas. Several studies have shown that children who grow up speaking more than one language are more likely to put themselves in someone else’s position. This was tested in an experiment where toys of different sizes were placed in front of young children. A grown-up who could not see the smallest-sized toy was sat opposite the children and was told to ask the children to move the smallest-sized of all toys. The children who had been raised monolingually now moved the actual smallest-sized toy (the one that the grown up had not been able to see). The multilingual children, however, picked up the smallest-sized toy that was visible to the grown-up, indicating that they had put themselves in his position (or rather his perspective) and integrated this perspective into their own behaviour [2].

Childhood as the time of accent-free learning

As a grown-up, it is almost impossible to speak a new language without an accent. The older we get, the more we are stuck with our accents and the harder it is to get rid of them. Our brains are not wired to stay the same so in the course of our lifetime, we lose the ability to learn a new language accent-free. Only as children and young adolescents, we are able to learn a new language without an accent. This is why children who grow up speaking two or more languages can fully master them like native speakers.

Protection against dementia

This is not to say, however, that grown-ups do not benefit from multilingualism.

The scientist Ellen Bialystok examined people suffering from dementia and analysed whether there were any differences between monolingual and multilingual people with dementia. Her findings showed that those who had been multilingual their entire life on average developed symptoms four years later than patients that only spoke one language [3]. It is believed that multilingual people are often forced to battle the impulse not to say a word in the wrong language.

More benefits than risks

The once predominant assumption that multilingualism leads to confused children struggling with their lacking vocabulary has been rejected by recent research findings that agree that multilingualism during childhood is the key to acquiring a new language accent-free later in life, to strengthening the ability to empathize with others as well as delaying (to a certain degree) symptoms of dementia.