Would you turn down the chance to become a smart cookie? We’ve been longing for quick fixes that could increase our intelligence (智力). Today, people’s hopes lie in brain training apps as a speedy “digital pill”. The more you play, the smarter you will get—or so some apps tell us. But is this digital-shortcut all that it seems to be?

The use of games for serious purposes has become widespread with the development of the Internet and smartphones. Brain training apps are typical, frequently featured by Apple and Google’s app stores. Many of such apps say that they are backed by “science”. Even if there were agreement around what makes general intelligence, the idea that increasing it would be as simple as practising a few mini-games every day goes against our current discovery about thinking and learning.

Several major studies, surveying users across a wide variety of apps, have found that they have little to no effect on users’ performance. A 2021 study by researchers discovered brain training has no significant effect on cognitive (认知的) functioning in the “real world”. The positive effects reported are limited to the very specific mini-games and tasks, such as memorizing lists of words or numbers, or performing mental calculation (心算). So, if your job or your calling in life needs summing quickly or remembering all your friends’ phone numbers, these apps will do. But if you are expecting them to improve your ability to write a novel or form a complex (复杂的) spreadsheet, you have to look elsewhere. Yet, despite the fact that they hardly work, brain training apps play a leading role, partly because they are regarded to be scientific and partly because users think they are fun.

As a co-creator of one of the most popular forms of gamification (游戏化) noted, what is especially disappointing about these apps is that they just aren’t that fun—at least, not compared with the various thoughtful board games and video games coming out every day. Puzzle video games, such as Baba Is You and detective games like Return of the Obra Dinn, see players apply their skill at reasoning, memory and concentration in a far more challenging and engaging (吸引人的) way.

If you aren’t into games, simply go for a walk or learn how to dance. They are likely to be more effective than a brain training app in sharpening your mind. These activities might not lead to an increased IQ, but they are sure to engage your brain deeply while having fun—something I can by no means say of brain training apps.

When Benjamin Cherkasky was in eighth grade, he quit the swim team. It wasn’t because he lacked the passion; he just couldn’t accept failures in matches. “I’m not Michael Phelps, why am I even on the team?” he said.

A US therapist (治疗专家) who researches perfectionism at Northwestern University realized years later what had happened. Cherkasky’s perfectionism was creating unrealistic standards. Unable to meet them, he quit.

“My perfectionism prompted (导致) very high expectations, and that caused real suffering,” he said.

Cherkasky is not alone in feeling that perfectionism can breed   anxiety. So many millennials (千禧一代) suffer from the ills of perfectionism that psychologists are issuing warnings and schools are emphasizing the need to accept failure.

Northwestern had held several seminars that offered tips on how students could deal with a perfectionism problem.

Jessica Rohlfing Pryor, a psychologist leading the events, said every generation is a sponge for the messages it receives.

“Millennials, more than any other generation in American society, are receiving clear messages around achieving,” she said. “There’s an absence of messaging that trying your hardest is still OK.”

The American Psychological Association also found out that recent generations of college students have reported higher levels of perfectionism than earlier generations.

This “desire to achieve along with being overly critical of oneself and others” affects young people’s mental health, according to its research, which analyzed data from over 40,000 college students.

Researchers noted that social media adds comparative pressure, along with the drive to earn money and achieve career goals. Perfectionists often create even higher goals, which can lead to a higher risk of failure.

In college, Cherkasky found himself surrounded by so many intelligent people that he felt he should have been achieving a higher level than he was. “It makes you feel kind of crazy,” he said.

This type of thinking can lead people to putting in less effort, which, as they fall behind, can create more anxiety. “It makes people feel kind of isolated.” Cherkasky added, “And that can cause students to drift away from their school”. Northwestern is not the only school eager to help students.

Brown University includes perfectionism in its counseling (咨询) services, asking students if they ever feel that what they accomplish isn’t good enough.

When Katie Stagliano grew a 40-pound cabbage, she didn’t know that she was beginning to develop a dream as well. When the 10-year-old girl from Summerville, South Carolina realized how much cabbage was in her garden, she decided to donate it to needy families by working with Fields to Families, a nonprofit organization based in South Carolina that gives the hungry access to nutritious fruits and vegetables.

Katie’s cabbage fed nearly 300 people and inspired her to learn more about childhood hunger in the United States. On discovering that more than 12 million kids in the United States go to bed hungry each night, Katie decided to take action.

Her first task was to work together with her family to expand their own garden so that they could donate more vegetables to needy families. But beyond her own backyard, she wanted to teach other children how to get involved. To grow her idea, she started the planting of a garden at her school, which also donates its fresh produce to local food agencies. Through a generous donation from Fields to Families, Katie’s school is receiving seeds and volunteer help, and Katie will get the chance to work there with a master gardener as her teacher!

Katie also designed her very own “No Hungry Children” T-shirt, which is available for purchase online. A part of the proceeds from her T-shirt sales economically supports Katie’s efforts, as well as the work of Amazing Kids, a nonprofit organization that focuses on the dreams of kids like Katie.

“I think it is important to have something to strive for,” says Katie. “By planting a garden or just some seeds in a pot you can make a difference. My cabbage alone fed 275 people. If more kids did the same, we all could be helping to make a long-time dream of no hungry people possible.”