ArticleScientific reports2023
Reverse effect of home-use binaural beats brain stimulation.
Article in Scientific reports, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
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Who cites it
6 citing papers in PubMed, 10 citations in OpenAlex.
- Beyond Performance: Cognitive Overload and Related Cognitive, Psychophysiological, and Performance States in Competitive Esports-A Scoping Review.Medical sciences (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- A Predictive Dual-Stage Neural Framework for Phase-Coherent Auditory Synthesis on Edge Devices.Sensors (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Sustained attention in attention-deficit subjects and the impact of binaural beat stimulation evaluated by behavior and EEG.Experimental brain research · 2025Article
- An Integrative Review of Brainwave Entrainment Benefits for Human Health.Applied psychophysiology and biofeedback · 2025Review
- Distinct neural mechanisms of alpha binaural beats and white noise for cognitive enhancement in young adults.AIMS neuroscience · 2025Article
- Amplifying Cognitive Functions in Amateur Esports Athletes: The Impact of Short-Term Virtual Reality Training on Reaction Time, Motor Time, and Eye-Hand Coordination.Brain sciences · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Binaural beats brain stimulation is a popular strategy for supporting home-use cognitive tasks. However, such home-use brain stimulation may be neutral to cognitive processes, and any intellectual improvement may be only a placebo effect. Thus, without belief in it, it may bring no benefits. Here we test 1000 individuals at their homes as they perform a two-part fluid intelligence test. Some took the second part listening to binaural beats, while others took it in silence or listening to other sounds. The binaural beats group was divided into three subgroups. The first one was informed that they would listen to sounds that improve the brain's work, the second that neutral sounds, and the third that some sounds the nature of which was not defined. We found that listening to binaural beats was not neutral, as it dramatically deteriorated the score irrespective of the condition. Silence or other sounds had no effect. Thus, home-use binaural beats brain stimulation brings reverse effects to those assumed: instead of supporting the effectiveness of cognitive activities, it may weaken them.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.