That's so false in fact it makes you better// I have mixed feelings about this. I took a short break from chess, played variants, went to a chess tournament, and demolished everyone. I mean demolished. I gained 100 rating points. But, I don't think variants are helpful twice. They help you expand your mind a little, but they don't work very well normally. And they won't work for strong players either. Maybe for a 1800 OTB, but not for a 2600 OTB.
i think it also depends on which variant you play. sometimes after playing a lot of atomic i go back to regular and i am still in the mindset of not letting my pieces get exploded. it's kind of a fun feeling