Smartphones have been a revolutionary invention and for the most part are seen to have had a beneficial impact on modern life. From sports betting to communication apps like Skype, there is now a valid argument that too many of us are becoming mindless, with smartphones apps taking away our ability to critically think and often leaving us clicking away in autopilot.

But there are also a wide variety of apps for iOS and Android that can help your brain, by improving your memory, maths skills or your decision making.

Here are five of the best apps available that can sharpen your mind:

Peak

Peak is one of the most organized brain training apps on the market, with more than 40 mind training games designed to help you develop your memory, attention, problem-solving skills, alertness, language skills, creativity and more.

The app even has a built-in personal trainer by the name of ‘Coach' who helps you to prioritise and can give you a hand with assignments without doing all of the work for you. 

Not only is Peak mentally stimulating, it's fun and engaging too.

Fit Brains

Rosetta Stone are famous for their online language courses, but the world's leading interactive language trainer has also branched out into brain games, with Fit Brains. 

Fit Brains stimulates your cognitive and emotional intelligence with more than 60 minigames and over 500 training programs. 

The app helps you to develop six major areas of your brain including memory, quick thinking, concentration, problem-solving ability, language, and visual sharpness. 

In addition you can also train four key areas of emotional intelligence, being your self-control, self-awareness, social awareness and social skills.

Lumosity

Lumosity is the mind training app with over 90 million users worldwide and there's good reason why it has achieved so many downloads.

Designed with the help of over 100 brain researchers worldwide, when you first download the app you take part in a ‘Fit Test' that will give you a base score for your remaining use of the app's material.

Lumosity can improve your concentration, aid you in solving analytical problens, improve your memory, attention to detail and thinking speed.

Mensa Brain Training

If you're wanting to improve your brain's function, then what better way than to put it through Mensa Brain Training. Here you can play daily brain training games designed by the original high IQ society.

Play challenging exercises developed by industry experts and accredited by Mensa themselves. You can also check your personal Mensa Brain Index (MBI) and see your global percentile for each of 5 key disciplines (Memory, concentration, mental agility, reasoning and perception).

Bingo Bash

If all of that brain training seems a little bit much, or if you'd also like to download something more easy-going that will still keep you mentally engaged, why not try a bingo app?

There are many  bingo apps out there but one of the best casino US online and most popular takes on the classic game is Bingo Bash. The game contains a variety of rooms and has several variants of Bingo to keep you thinking and to keep things interesting. 

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