Lumosity: A 2 Week Review

For the last two weeks I have been faithfully “training” my brain with Lumosity, the online mind enhancer web site.  While two weeks may seem like too short a time to determine whether my mental capabilities have seen any notable increase, I would like to throw caution to the wind and give my expert analysis after using said brain enhancing program.  My expert analysis is that I have no idea whether it works or not because I don’t want to pay for the member’s access.  That’s right, Lumosity charges innocent people like yours truly money for a service that should, by all means, be rendered free.  According to the Lumosity tagline (which I am generously misquoting to prove my point), the intent of using said product is to increase core cognitive functions.  To me, and maybe just to me, that sounds like quite a power for one company to horde and charge for.  Lumosity claims it has the key to help we simple minded folk improve our all too necessary core cognitive functions but only for a price and certainly not for free (are you crazy).  All they will give the common man who doesn’t want to shell out x amount of obscene dollars is the bird hunting/photography game and the one game where you solve raindrop math equations.  On top of that, they grace the non-paying member with some sort of performance score labeled LPI or Lumosity Performance Index.  Now naturally, the question of what is a good LPI (ah you catch on quick with the slang) arises?  To answer your thoughtful question I shall dust off an old chestnut and provide the unsatisfying response of I have no idea because I am not a paying member.  I have no benchmark other than my previous LPI’s and unless I join the ranks of the paying member, I have no clue as to how I stack up against other Lumosity users (again with the paying).  Why Lumosity, why do you horde such necessary information to those of us that don’t want to pay.  You alone hold the keys to increasing my core cognitive functions, something that should have been endowed as a god given right by our creator (way to leave that one out Jefferson), but alas was overlooked and forces schnorrers like me to cast myself at the mercy of the evil Lumosity gods.  What good is all this training if I have no benchmarks for it?  Why Lumosity, why do you put a price tag on self-improvement and mental fulfillment?  Have you no soul you heartless bunch of cognitive monsters?

In conclusion, I think Lumosity should consider making their whole program free of charge.  That would be appreciated.