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 cognitive benefit, strongest for alertness; studies averaged 55-minute naps and immediate results varied.
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Can caffeine protect attention after sleep loss?
A 45-paper meta-analysis found caffeine improved vigilance after sleep loss, not procedural control; gains faded over repeated restricted nights.
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Do wearables increase physical activity?
Across 121 trials, programs added about 1,235 daily steps and 49 active minutes weekly; sedentary time was unclear and hardware was rarely used alone.
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Does creatine improve memory?
A corrected meta-analysis found no significant overall memory effect, though an older-adult subgroup remained; sleep-loss trials test a narrower response.
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Does music improve exercise performance?
Across 139 studies, music slightly improved performance and made exercise feel better; newer evidence favored strength and power over speed or endurance.
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How much performance can deliberate practice explain?
A corrected 88-study meta-analysis linked practice to 14% of performance variance; 44,213-player chess data linked practice type to 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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