Federal investigation throws doubt on Luminosity’s supposed IQ benefits

The brain-training giant Lumosity is recalibrating its strategy and facing new challenges as it reels from a federal crackdown on bold health claims about its digital games.

[The company] is facing sharp questions about its much-touted research, which found that users enjoyed a bump in IQ. And there are signs that the growth of Lumosity’s once impressive mobile app business may have stalled.

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Lumosity’s promotions still emphasize its research — which may itself be on shaky ground.

Researchers at George Mason University reported…that much of the benefit of brain-training games may be attributable to a placebo effect, something that many companies and university scientists fail to account for in their research.

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[Sara] Colvin, the Lumos Labs spokeswoman, called the George Mason study “interesting” and said Lumosity welcomes “all research that serves to improve the quality of cognitive training research and, subsequently, the products available.”

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Despite Lumosity’s struggles — and the efficacy questions plaguing the industry — the type of games it pioneered are thriving.

The GLP aggregated and excerpted this blog/article to reflect the diversity of news, opinion and analysis. Read full, original post: Brain drain? Luminosity reels after federal crackdown on online ‘brain training’