Brain Boosting with Teasers

For more than 2000 years, brainteasers have been tickling our brains. In fact one of the earliest known brainteaser enthusiasts was Greek mathematician Archimedes. During his time, he was widely known for devising mathematical problems for his contemporaries to enjoy.

While brainteasers have changed dramatically since their initial inception, the brainy benefits remain. Researchers continue to find positive links between playing with brainteasers and an increase in cognitive abilities. As we tinker away at a disentanglement puzzle or find the patterns in a geometric puzzle, we’re doing more than just passing the time – we’re improving the overall health of our brains. 

Boost their Brains for a Parenting Win 
For parents, this is exciting news. Children spend a lot of time playing with their toys. By simply getting the right toys in their hands, casual play time is easily transformed into an opportunity to stimulate a child’s brain – helping to develop and strengthen logic and creative problem solving skills. {Parenting win!} A child reshaping a geometric puzzle like Cubigami (Recent Toys) may appear to just be folding tiles to create interesting shapes. But experts see past this casual play and note that the child is actually improving spatial reasoning skills.  Churning the gears on a Meffert’s puzzle is mesmerizing and addictive. As a puzzler is thinking several moves ahead to get all six sides sorted by color, they are secretly honing strategic thinking skills. Arranging the tiles on an Icosoku puzzle is a natural pastime for anyone who loves Sudoku. But as they crunch the numbers to make all 20 tiles add up, they are improving their logic and cognitive thinking skills. 

Adults Should Get Their Play On, Too
What’s better is that brainteasers are not only for children – adults should play, too! Studies now show that in addition to children, seniors benefit the most from brainteasers. When looking at the brain through an MRI or CAT scan, focusing on a brainteaser actually causes neurons to fire faster – increasing brain activity. Our brains do better long term if they are consistently exposed to these activities. It’s actually been shown that brain teasers help slow the progression of dementia.

The Brainy Truth 
Experts of brain games agree that brainteasers and similar puzzles do have the ability to awaken brain cells that were dormant before playing. When brain cells are highly stimulated, many unused genes are suddenly reactivated. By awakening the gene, the brain has a better ability to survive longer and fight off disease. Keep in mind, variety in brain workouts is very important to maximize the benefit you get from working logic puzzles. Even if you can’t immediately solve a puzzle, your brain will still receive an excellent and much-needed workout.
Through research, we continue to learn the positive benefits of brainteasers. Most people, however, choose to focus on the fun, gaming aspect and less on how it affects brain development. This helps to derive true pleasure from playing, thus fueling the popularity and development.

So, grab your kids and a couple of brainteasers. You’ll be encouraging a love for learning in them while improving the overall health of their -- and your! -- brain.