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Good vibrations Mobile devices for stimulating your mind
Everyone knows that PDAs and smart phones are allrounders. But can they improve your memory? South Korean start-up DreamFree says “Yes”. They designed a peripheral for PDAs and mobile phones called PEEG, which stands for ‘personal electroencephalogram’ and is supposed to stimulate brain activity. PEEG consists of a software application for Microsoft Pocket PC, headphones and a set of silver eyeglasses with lenses made of opaque plastic. The PDA version was introduced at the COMDEX in November 2003. Feel-good mobile phone Since January this year, PEEG is also available on LG Telecom’s mobile phone ‘Aladdin’. “It changes your brain waves and makes you feel better,” summarised Joonon Moon, a director in DreamFree’s planning department, the benefits of the application. Seoul-based DreamFree was founded in 2000 by members of Mensa Korea, who have an IQ of 158 or higher. DreamFree claims that PEEG improves memorisation and induces relaxation, sleep, vitality and jet-lag recovery. PEEG offers the following functions: ‘Concentration’, ‘Learning’, ‘Language’, ‘Rest’, ‘Meditation’, and ‘Vitality’. When the application is set on ‘Concentration’, rhythmic pinging sounds are heard in the earphones while lights flash off and on inside the glasses. The frequency of the pings and the lights are synchronised, so that they induce brain waves of the same frequency. At first, the sounds and light are said to be cacophonous, but then a pleasant massage effect begins to seize you in about a minute. Even with closed eyes, one can sense the pattern of the light pulses. Sometimes the pulsing comes from the side of the glasses, while at other times it comes from the top and bottom. The pulsing tone is largely monotonic, but seems to change slightly. By altering brain wave frequencies, PEEG can alter moods, Mr Moon claimed. According to DreamFree, users can wear it as long as they want, though 5 to 10 minutes of wearing PEEG would already induce beneficial brain waves. The device makes use of different waves and their supposedly beneficial effect they have on your mind. Gamma waves are used against anxiety, beta waves for keeping you awake, alpha waves to stimulate concentration, theta waves for facilitating a nap, and delta waves to induce a deep sleep. Users compared the experience to taking a nap while playing an album with synthesizer music. There is no final proof yet, if PEEG can really achieve more than an album by Jean Michel Jarre while you are resting on your sofa. History of mind machines So-called mind machines, which aim to induce relaxation and an altered state of consciousness through optical-acoustic and electrical stimulation, are not new. For a number of years, commercial devices with names like Proteus, Orion, and InnerPulse have been available. They promise the user to alter his state of mind according to his wishes. Especially the so-called hypnagogic state of consciousness, which is characterised by the perception of vibrant colours and radiant light, has been cherished throughout history as the source of creative thought. In the mid-30s scientists discovered that brain rhythms tended to mimic the rhythm of a flashing light. In the 1940s British neuroscientist W. Gray Walter investigated what he called ‘flicker phenomena’, the trance-like states of deep relaxation and vivid mental imagery. In the 60s and 70s scientists discovered that flicker effects at certain frequencies seemed to have amazing beneficiary effects, including increased IQ scores, enhanced intellect, and greater synchronisation between the creative and analytical parts of the brain. They also found out that adding auditory stimulation increased the effect of rhythmic light. In 1974, Seymour Charas, a New York scientist, obtained the first patent on a combined light and sound stimulation. However, the first mind machines were not produced before the 1980s, enabled by technological advances in micro electronics. Today, there are over 20 light-and-sound machines in commercial production. Effects on well-being The question remains, if mind machines can keep their promise of achieving the desired states of consciousness by just pushing a button. In a study on the effects of electromagnetic and optical-acoustic stimulation on general well-being (Behavioral Medicine, Fall, 1998), the researchers Harald Walach and Eduard Kaseberg investigated and compared the effects of mind machines with pure rest and a placebo. Thirty participants underwent four conditions in random sequence: rest, placebo stimulation, optical-acoustic and electrical stimulation. The result: optical-acoustic and electrical stimulation produced significantly more visionary experiences and fear of ego dissolution than rest and placebo. Apart from this, no specific effects of mind machines on general well-being and physiological relaxation could be noted. The bottom-line is that there may be certain mind-altering effects of mind machines, but not necessarily the effects you would like to obtain. Listening to good music might still be the better and safer way to relax. Further information about the PEEG is available at www.dreamfree.com/english/index.htm Please send us your comments on this article. |
