Reverse effect of home-use binaural beats brain stimulation

Abstract

Binaural beats brain stimulation is a popular strategy for supporting home-use cognitive tasks. However, such home-use brain stimulation may be neutral to cognitive processes, and any intellectual improvement may be only a placebo effect. Thus, without belief in it, it may bring no benefits. Here we test 1000 individuals at their homes as they perform a two-part fluid intelligence test. Some took the second part listening to binaural beats, while others took it in silence or listening to other sounds. The binaural beats group was divided into three subgroups. The first one was informed that they would listen to sounds that improve the brain's work, the second that neutral sounds, and the third that some sounds the nature of which was not defined. We found that listening to binaural beats was not neutral, as it dramatically deteriorated the score irrespective of the condition. Silence or other sounds had no effect. Thus, home-use binaural beats brain stimulation brings reverse effects to those assumed: instead of supporting the effectiveness of cognitive activities, it may weaken them.

Incremento de carga cognitiva combinada com treinamento físico impacta positivamente o desempenho de atletas de futebol?: uma resenha do trabalho de Staiano & Merlini, 2022

“…O protocolo do estudo de Staiano & Merlini(5) contou com uma intervenção com quatro semanas de duração, com 40 sessões de treinamento físico em ambos os grupos (intervenção e controle). Ao final de cada dia de treinamento físico, o grupo intervenção realizou o BET, com duração de 20 minutosno intuito de induzir a fadiga mental; enquanto o grupo controle ouviu sons neutros, os quais, de acordo com a literatura, não modificam a atividade cerebral (15).…”