Mental exercise
Tuesday, January 9, 2024 at 09:21AM
Watching a loved one experiencing mental decline*, results in a person’s concern for their own cognitive status grow. Looking for ways to prevent, or at least slow, the inevitable slide into senility becomes important.
Lately, I’ve been spending a bit more time each day trying to do some mental gymnastics by playing games and solving puzzles online.
For as long as I can remember (I think starting in the late 1970s), I’ve worked the scrambled word game Jumble first thing each morning. (According to Wikipedia it was started in 1954 and appears in over 600 newspapers.) It’s a pretty rare day that I don’t solve this one.
Lately, I’ve started to play the daily Connections game on the New York Times website. (See above.) Placing 16 words into related groups of four usually has me scratching my head a bit, but I “get it” more often than not. And I feel very proud when I make no mistakes. I share my results - the good ones, anyway. I’ve tried Wordle and I don’t find it much fun.
My friend Heidi and I have a habit of alternately giving and receiving the Isaac Asimov Super Quiz in the daily paper. Between the two of us, we probably average an 80-90% success rate. Recalling trivia is gets tougher as one ages, I believe.
Perhaps even more important than working a few puzzles is finding time to read a few challenging articles or chapters from a non-fiction book. Yeah, I read my share of thrillers and scifi and pop lit, but a good book on a serious topic supported by research is good for the noggin.
Finally, I write a bit each day. That may be my best indicator of mental acuity. With puzzles, some days are harder and some days are easier and I am left wondering if the difficult days are due to tougher puzzles or a slower brain. Given that many people get the Connections solutions on days that I don’t, leads me to worry that my brain may not be hitting on all cylinders every day. Perhaps my loyal blog readers can tell from my entries when I am thinking clearly and when not.
Is exercising one’s cognitive abilities simply an exercise in futility? Perhaps. But like physical exercise, when done well, mental stretching can also be a pleasure. Take your brain for a walk today by doing a puzzle. It can’t hurt.
*My Mom’s memory has become increasingly poor over the past couple years, leading to her needing to be in an assisted living apartment. Tough to watch a once bright and independent individual now need daily support.
Reader Comments (4)
I think your daily practice of working the brain is a good one. I have never seen the Isaac Asimov Super Quiz. I really like that one. I don't think I've ever caught you "slipping" here on your blog. Haha!
Ooh, thanks for that connections game. I like that one. I just did it for the first time with one mistake. But come on, poker didn’t go with the casino words, it went with the fireplace words. Whatever! ;)
And sorry about your mom. My mom went through that the last few years of her life and it was so hard to see.
Best to you for a great 2024!
Hi Mandy,
Other readers may disagree, but thank you for the affirmation.
Doug
Hi Ninja,
You will find that the designers of the Connections game almost always include a word or two with double meanings that could be use in more than one category. You almost have to solve two sets of the connections in order to determine which set a word with a double meaning should go to.
Have fun!
Doug
This article is very helpful. Connections is really a very interesting game. This is worth playing.