CROSSWORDS: General Health; Cognitive Fitness

Summary | Quotes |
References: General | Aging; Dementia


park bench
"Working on the crossword puzzle"
by Ed Yourdon
is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

Summary

  • Learning a skill, playing a game or solving a new kind of problem can improve
    mental flexibility, mood and brain connections -- and burn a few extra brain calories.
  • Welcome distraction from disasters, wars, pandemics.
  • Solving crosswords might aid in concentration, and ability to recognize patterns.
  • Although solving puzzles might not prevent dementia, practicing
    and constantly challenging yourself appears to add to your "cognitive reserve",
    possibly delaying the onset of symptoms in some studies, e.g.,
    Study Finds Crossword Puzzles May Improve Memory Better Than Other Brain Games
  • Up your game to different and more difficult crosswords (sources)
  • Diversify to different kinds of puzzles, e.g., acrostics, cryptics, etc.
  • Even more challenging and fun -- construct crosswords!

Quotes

References

Aging; Dementia