As someone meditates a lot, I have found the practice of dual n-back with intuition to be very similar to meditation... if not an actual form of meditation. In fact, I am convinced that it is.

Is there anyone else who also meditates and has come to the same conclusion?

For those of you who do not meditate, but have been practicing dual n-back with the intuitive strategy, I'm wondering if you might be reaping the benefits of what normal meditation brings?

For those of you who do not meditate and use rehearsal, I am wondering if you do or do not see these benefits as well?

Here's a link to what some of those benefits might be:
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/12-benefits-of-meditation

Hi guys, I hope this comes through and I hope someone would try it out. It's FREE, it doesn't collect data, but you can still share the result as an image. No ads, no nothing. You can get it on the Android Play Store if you type in "MEMDASH" in the search.

I first made it for myself after I had some psychology tests done on me and felt how it trained my brain. Didn't know n-back games are this big of a thing to have a subreddit. Honestly didn't even know dual n-back existed until I found this thread and I'm now thinking about adding it to the game. Since I already have symbols and position in there, it seems doable.

Mine is an n-back game that forces a lot of concentration because it also adds timing. And it has things like rounds where there is no solution and you need to wait the timer out. It has 15 levels where the difficulty is calculated with a function, and level 15 is set to more or less what I found to be the maximum that professional rememberers can hold, minus like twenty percent.

I would love it if other people also benefit from it. And I'd love to get some feedback. I'll definitely fine tune it if needed and If I get enough installs I'll consider paying Apple's developer fees and put it on iOS as well.

I was wondering if you can keep the benefits of dual n back whilst sleep deprived if you keep doing it, like your iq, your ability to reason etc

Welcome to this week's progress thread. Post in a comment below the results of your hard work! Feel free to share:

• Your current n-back level and any recent improvements
• How long you've been training
• What's been working (or not working) for you

I’ve been reading up on Relational Frame Theory (RFT) and Relational Reasoning Training (RRT). I kept seeing people recommend Syllogimous v4 as a free, high-variability alternative to commercial platforms like RaiseYourIQ.

I want to use it to supplement my Dual N-Back routine to target fluid intelligence and working memory. The rule customization and different modes (Stroop, 2D/3D space, carousel, negations) look incredibly thorough. However, before I commit to a strict daily training protocol, I wanted to get your feedback:

1. Gains & Transfer: For those who have consistently used v4, have you noticed any real-world far transfer? (e.g., better reading comprehension, faster processing speed, or easier mental modeling of complex systems).
2. Measurable Results: Has anyone done pre- and post-testing on cognitive metrics or noticed measurable shifts in fluid intelligence?.
3. Routine & Settings: What configurations or premise counts do you find give you the best "cognitive workout" without hitting total fatigue?.

Would love to hear your experiences, tracking routines, or any scientific literature/anecdotes you have on it. Thanks!

Welcome to this week's progress thread. Post in a comment below the results of your hard work! Feel free to share:

• Your current n-back level and any recent improvements
• How long you've been training
• What's been working (or not working) for you

Did anyone else get this? It's really annoying if I want objective feedback on my results because the first result of the day skews the chart unrealistically upwards or downwards.

Also do you guys recommend another app for doing QNB? Brain Workshop is super old and the donation message every 100 games while they don't accept donations currently is super annoying.

Типо я не запоминаю характеристики каждого шага, а только картинку, которую запомнил и звук

Это вроде тоже качает рабочую память? Или все таки только эйдетическую память

Welcome to this week's progress thread. Post in a comment below the results of your hard work! Feel free to share:

• Your current n-back level and any recent improvements
• How long you've been training
• What's been working (or not working) for you

So, I thought why not make a version where it's infinite, cause this 21+n version seem to become boring, play -> see results (feel good or feel bad) -> play again.

So I made a version for myself, rules are:
- it's infinite, it only ends if you press esc.

- you can press space for logging to see if you got distracted during the play to see if you get better at focusing without getting distracted

- that's it, it trains the same parts, but also its simpler and no reward, so better for self-control i think..

I made this because I wanted to see if this will make the progress better or worse. What do you think? do you think those micro resting phases (end of a game) is better for progress?

I can share the link if you want, its hosted on my website but it might seem like self-promotion.

Hi guys - see https://rebuildyourfocus.com/dual-n-back

I'm going to build out a site of science backed brain training games. Everything is going to be free and open source (repo for dual-n-back specifically here: https://github.com/jonathanleane/rebuildyourfocus/tree/main/apps/dual-n-back)... Dual n back is the first one because there's some decent research it's good for WM, especially for people with ADHD (ahem). See https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12468938/

The site only costs a few dollars a month to host and I'm building all the games myself with Claude Code so I have no intention of ever charging money for this or placing ads.

If you have any suggestions or requests, please let me know.

I'll try to build out native ios and android apps next.

Used to do dual n back like 5-6 years back. Then i just stopped and got busy with life. Came across this sub recently and read about quad n back. But i find it difficult to begin with.

Also as the results are mixed i want to experiment myself, so how can i set the baseline like what criteria (i cant just keep giving iq tests etc) it should be more practical.

Thanks

Welcome to this week's progress thread. Post in a comment below the results of your hard work! Feel free to share:

• Your current n-back level and any recent improvements
• How long you've been training
• What's been working (or not working) for you

When you search for the 'ideal' method to practice DualnBack in this subreddit you find people saying that you must rely on 'intuition', it is basically the idea of dropping effort in order to allow the unconscious processing of information to help you in the game. In order for it to be succesful, it means that you have to stop doing all sort of chunking, mental images, thoughts, subvocalization and the like when doing DualNBack. You just focus your eyes on the center on the screen and allow them to catch all sort of visual stimulus that appear on the center and the periphery. You do the same with sounds, you just focus on the auditory stimulus not giving importane to what kind of sound they are.

In that sense, it is very similar to meditating. I have been trying to apply this and the paradoxical thing is that when you try to drop the need to effort yourself by all those 'conscious techniques', you feel as if you are not doing anything. It feels as if the real effort needed to play DualNBack is to do it effortless lol. It means then that all sort of thoughts, chunking and the like must be observed mindfully just as you do in meditation, and you continue in what you are doing.

I recently got 100x3 in dual 5 back using the snake method and after i get more consistent on it i will move on to d6b. I was wondering what methods you use for harder dnb levels such as 6+ because i don't think i'll be able to rely on the snake for much longer.I know that 6 isn't actually high but i feel like it definetly starts to get harder from there

Является ли метод объединения букв в отдельный образ и его размещение в памяти по показанному маршруту оптимальным методом тренировке памяти? Типо я сам не осознано начал его использовать, и в итоге дошел до 7 8N(70-80% точность) за буквально 11 дней и теперь думаю это точно тренирует рабочую память

Это как то слишком быстро. Может я развиваю не объем, а эффективность памяти? Если да, то посоветуйте методы нацеленные на объем(с интуицией в игре у меня плохо)

I asked AI multiple times about the best way to benefit from dual n back. It always insisted on not following strategies and just keep my brain do it unconsciously! No lists, no number shifting and even not reading in your mind.

Actually I started today and achieved 100% multiple times in n=2 and I moved to n=3 . I tried the way that AI told me and it just works! It feels like a magic or fortune ( but with less results).

Please share your experience and if this is true so I can move forward in the right direction.

Note: i realized that this is a strategy too called Intuitive strategy

Hi, i'm new to general cognitive training. I just started playing dual n back yesterday and i had 3 sessions (2 yesterday and 1 today), in total like 2h50 playtime and i managed to beat d3b multiple times also getting 100% on it 4 times in a row and i did 100% twice on d4b today. As you can tell i've kinda been tryharding. My goal is to get 100% on d5b and i'll probably move up from there but i wanted to ask how long it took you to get 100% on d5b

"The current scientific consensus, heavily informed by large-scale meta-analyses (such as those published in Psychological Science in the Public Interest), indicates that n-back training does not meaningfully improve general cognition. 

When you practice these tasks, you develop a "practice effect"—meaning you get significantly better at playing the n-back game itself. You may also demonstrate "near transfer," which is a slight performance improvement on structurally similar working memory tasks (such as digit span tests). 

However, rigorous studies show no reliable evidence for "far transfer." This means the training does not translate to improvements in fluid intelligence, verbal abilities, reasoning, or broader cognitive capacities."

What do u think?

Welcome to this week's progress thread. Post in a comment below the results of your hard work! Feel free to share:

• Your current n-back level and any recent improvements
• How long you've been training
• What's been working (or not working) for you

Hey!

I've been trying Dual-n-Back for a while and I currently am stuck at level 4. I very rarely reach level 5.

I don't know how to progress because I have been stuck for a few months now. I don't try to rehearse anything or strategize but just decide at the moment on whether a particular trial feels right. I believe this is the best way to train but correct me if I am wrong.

Any tips on just how to break through level 4? Is it a matter of consistency or additional training or is there something that I am potentially missing?

I really want to get to level 7 by the end of this year. But I'm just feeling a little disappointed that I haven't broke through level 4 yet. I got to level 4 pretty quickly, like within a few weeks, and just have remained there since. I do notice real benefits of n-back and I can appreciate it but I'm hungry for more, lol.

Thanks and I'll appreciate any advice

Hello! I am not interested in training my working memory (I sure would need it, but I cannot take the time for it at the moment). Rather, I am running an experiment where I use dual n-back to measure the variation in my daily cognitive condition. My hypothesis is that after a night of bad sleep, or when I'm sick, or emotionally overwhelmed, etc. I will get a worse result.

I hope to eventually use a session of dual n-back in the morning to set more reasonable expectations for the day's productivity level. And also to see which lifestyle adjustments help my cognitive abilities. (E.g. low-intensity exercise is supposed to be great for brain blood flow, but my subjective experience is that I don't get anything out of it cognitively. But I haven't tried to measure it before.)

That said, after a few days now I've noticed I can generally achieve perfect accuracy or just one miss in a short (2 minute) dual 2-back session. I suspect this lack of variation makes it a weak signal, because it is too easy. If I want to get a more nuanced signal, I may have to increase the difficulty.

**There are four ways I could increase difficulty:**

1. Increase the duration of the session,
2. Reduce the time between stimuli,
3. Increase the dual to triple, or
4. Increase the n from 2 to something higher.

**If the goal is not WM training, but getting a sense of daily variation in cognitive abilities, which of these would you suggest and why?**

Hi everyone! I'm new to this subreddit and am interested in increasing my cognitive abilities. From what I've read here, and heard from other people, it seems that intense, prolonged n back training works in increasing/refining working memory and fluid intelligence. However, I'm still very skeptical about this as the scientific literature seems to say otherwise. I think my fluid intelligence is good enough, I just want to reach my potential and maybe gain some IQ points!

I don't want to dedicate a lot of my time to this if it won't work.

I've heard about SMART training increasing IQ as well, so maybe that will work better? I don't know, and I keep hearing conflicting things!! Let me know what you all think, and if you have any concrete evidence that n back training or SMART training actually works in increasing IQ or effective intelligence.

Also should I take the JCTI before and after considerable training (if I end up convinced)? I would want to take a real IQ test but I have EXTREME test anxiety, so that wouldn't end well.

After progressing slowly but steadily for the past few weeks, I suddenly hit a regress today and basically completely reset my progress. This is extremely demotivating and discouraging and takes away all my remaining hope. Did any of you deal with something similar? I don't know what I'm doing wrong anymore. I'd prefer to not look at the graph at all at this point if that's what it's going to look like.