lifescore Edge
Performance
Plans, feedback and the trade-offs inside personal optimization.
Can a short nap improve performance?
A 381-person meta-analysis found a small post-nap cognitive benefit, strongest for alertness; nearly all tests were in labs, the average nap lasted 55 minutes, and immediate results were inconsistent.
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Can caffeine protect attention after sleep loss?
Randomized studies and a 45-paper meta-analysis show that caffeine can improve vigilant attention after sleep loss, but it does not fully restore procedural control, and the alertness benefit can fade across repeated restricted nights.
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Do wearables increase physical activity?
Across 121 randomized trials, monitor-based programs added about 1,235 daily steps and 49 weekly minutes of moderate-to-vigorous activity; sedentary time did not clearly change, and the hardware was rarely the only intervention.
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Does creatine improve memory?
After a key meta-analysis corrected double-counted outcomes, its overall effect was no longer significant, although an older-adult subgroup remained; newer sleep-loss trials test a narrower stress response, not everyday recall.
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Does music improve exercise performance?
Across 139 studies, music produced a small average performance gain and made exercise feel more positive; a newer preference review found clearer strength and power effects than speed or aerobic endurance.
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How much performance can deliberate practice explain?
A corrected 88-study meta-analysis linked deliberate practice to 14% of between-person performance variance on average; new data from 44,213 chess players associated practice type with learning efficiency.
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When does tracking turn play into work?
Six experiments found that measurement could increase walking or reading while reducing enjoyment by making an activity feel more like work.
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Can an if-then plan close the gap between intention and action?
A meta-analysis of 642 tests found that cue-linked if-then plans helped on average, but robust adjustment cut the estimated effect substantially.
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Does tracking progress make goals more achievable?
A meta-analysis of 138 randomized studies found that progress-monitoring interventions improved goal attainment on average, with wide variation.
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