If your morning isn’t complete without the full suite of NYT Games, welcome to the grand tradition of brain games — the latest iteration of your grandpa’s crossword addiction and your mom’s battered old book of Sudoku.
Yes, brain games like Wordle, Connections and Spelling Bee can certainly pass the time. They may even give you that occasional glow of victory.
But do they improve cognitive health?
Turns out, that’s a very personal question.
For some of us, brain games are a boost.
If you enjoy them, these games can be a great cognitive “workout.” That goes for visual games, like NYT Games’ Tiles, as well as word-based games, like The Mini and Strands.
“These sorts of brain exercises can be very helpful for improving your ability to think and remember,” says Mark Alberts, MD, chief of neurology at Hartford Hospital and co-physician-in-chief at the Ayer Neuroscience Institute.
For example, games and puzzles use cognitive skills like:
- Focus: Concentrating on one task for an extended time
- Working memory: Remembering information without losing track of what you’re doing
- Critical thinking: Problem-solving in the moment
- Strategic thinking: Planning ahead for the future
- Deductive reasoning: Using rules and observations to reach a logical conclusion
- Creative thinking: Connecting ideas based on patterns, similarities, metaphors or personal experience
> Related: 5 Wordle Alternatives and Their Surprising Health Benefits
Does this mean your favorite game also prevents dementia?
Bad news first: There’s no evidence that brain games specifically prevent or delay the onset of dementia diseases.
However, if you take dementia illnesses out of the equation, it does seem that brain games can generally boost memory, attention and other cognitive functions — for some people.
For some of us, brain games are a bust.
How much you benefit from brain games boils down to how much you actually enjoy them.
“Sure, crossword puzzles and Sudoku could be fun for some people. But if they’re distressing to you — or just not fun — they won’t be beneficial,” says Dr. Alberts.
Ask yourself: Does trying to make sense of Connections feel irritating, instead of amusing? Do word challenges like Letter-Boxed make you feel bad about your whimsical sense of spelling? Frankly, do you just not like playing games on your phone?
Put down the puzzles.
“Emotional well-being has a huge impact on cognition, so it’s important to choose activities that give you joy,” says Dr. Alberts. “Find a different hobby. Take a class. Teach a class! Keep learning in other ways.”
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Whether or not you enjoy puzzles like NYT Games, they’re just one piece of cognitive health.
To prevent age-related cognitive decline, your goal should be to stay as active as possible in as many ways as possible — far beyond any brain games.
“Cognitive health is not just about exercising your brain,” says Dr. Alberts. “Research shows there really is a mind-body connection, so it’s physical exercise too. It’s continuing to seek out or share education in some way. And in all of this, it’s about finding joy.”
Even the toughest Saturday crossword can’t do all that.
“There’s nothing wrong with sitting on a beach and doing a crossword puzzle,” says Dr. Alberts. “But it can’t be your only approach if you really want to improve your brain health.”
