Instead of playing mindless video games or indulging in a TV marathon on your day off, why not keep your brain entertained a good way? Just as physical games like basketball or tennis that improve our fitness and physique, brain games like Scrabble and Sudoku can help refining our cognitive and reasoning skills and improve our memory!
How brain games work
One common misapprehension is that our brains stop developing when we reach adulthood. In fact, one of the greatest wonders of the human body is the way our brains constantly strive to rewire, re-calibrate and improve itself with each new lesson and experience by establishing new connections between brain cells. Neuroscientists have termed this process neuroplasticity.1,2
By presenting your mind with novel challenges of increasing difficulty, your brain is constantly exposed to new stimuli, allowing it to constantly build new connections between brain cells.3
The benefits of brain games
Whether you’re aiming to improve your job performance, excel in your exams or even just remember where you put your keys, brain games can help by strengthening your cognitive skills. Here are a few examples.2
- Memory skills. Memory games don’t just help you remember better — they also help you remember faster. Try playing games that put the player under time pressure, your brain will learn to process and memorize information as quickly as possible!
- Problem-solving and reasoning skills. Games like Sudoku test your logical reasoning, arithmetic and creative thinking skills. They’re excellent for training your mind to think in a more systematic and practical manner when faced with a new obstacle.
- Language skills. If you need to expand your vocabulary, games like Hangman, Words with Friends and Scrabble are a great way to learn new words and how to use them.
Regular mental stimulation through brain games can also help delay the onset of Alzheimer’s disease!1
Creating your own stimulation
Sometimes, we just don’t have the time to sit down and play a brain game. So here are some simple ways to put your mind to work with minimal time and effort.
- Learn a new language. Listening to audiobooks while you exercise or commute maximizes your time.
- Memorize information. Instead of writing information down or resorting to your trusty smartphone, try memorizing it instead. Start with simple, non-essential information such as a grocery list.
- Do mental sums. Flex your arithmetic skills anytime by giving yourself simple sums to solve. Try to solve them as quickly as possible!
Our minds are our most important assets. Let’s realize their full potential!
Sources
- Hall CB, Lipton RB, Sliwinski M et al. Cognitive activities delay onset of memory decline in persons who develop dementia. Neurology. 2009; 73(5):356-361.
- Smith GE, Housen P et al. A cognitive training program based on principles of brain plasticity: Results from the improvement in memory with plasticity-based adaptive cognitive training (IMPACT) study. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2009; 57(4):594-603.
- Green CS & Bavelier D. Exercising your brain: A review of human brain plasticity and training-induced learning. Psychol Aging. 2008; 23(4):692-701.