The team

Who writes the BrightYears Journal.

Health content is only as trustworthy as the people who write and review it. Here is how the BrightYears Journal is researched and edited, the standards every post is held to, and where the sources come from.

BY

The BrightYears Team

BrightYears Editorial

BrightYears is a small team of product designers, engineers, and researchers building memory-training tools grounded in published cognitive science. Every claim in our journal is sourced from primary, peer-reviewed research.

Editorial standards

Recent writing

Every post lists its primary sources and the date it was last revised.

Science
The spacing effect: why short, repeated sessions beat cramming

The spacing effect is one of the oldest and most replicated findings in cognitive psychology. Spaced practice yields about double the retention of massed practice.

Science
The 7 types of memory, explained without jargon

Memory is not one system but seven, organized into short-term, long-term, and the working memory that ties them together. A field guide to the categories.

Research
N-back training: does it really improve fluid intelligence?

N-back training is one of the most-studied and most-contested cognitive interventions. Here is what the evidence shows about transfer to working memory and IQ.

How To
How to build a memory palace: a 5-step method that works

The memory palace, also called the method of loci, is the oldest mnemonic technique. Here is the 5-step method backed by the brain-imaging evidence.

How To
Mild cognitive impairment vs. normal aging: how to tell

Most memory changes after 60 are normal aging. A specific subset are mild cognitive impairment. Here is how to tell, and when to see a doctor.

Science
Hearing loss and dementia: what the evidence actually shows

Hearing loss is the largest single modifiable dementia risk factor in the Lancet Commission's 2024 report. Here is what the trials show, and what to do about it.

Science
Exercise and the brain: what aerobic activity actually does

Aerobic exercise grows the hippocampus, raises BDNF, and is the single most-replicated lifestyle factor for cognitive aging. Here is what the trials show.

Research
BrightYears vs. Lumosity: an honest comparison

Lumosity is the most-downloaded brain-training app and was fined by the FTC in 2016. BrightYears is newer and more focused. Here is the honest comparison.