![\"Young](\"https:\/\/bod-blog-assets.prod.cd.beachbodyondemand.com\/bod-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Brain-Games-for-Adults.sudoku.600.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/p>\nBinge-watching an entire TV series is an easy escape from everyday stress.<\/p>\n
But even if you\u2019re sucked into a complex drama about chess or a cleverly spun whodunit,\u00a0studies\u00a0have found too much TV can dampen your memory capabilities.<\/p>\n
So balance out that must-see TV with some real-life brain games for adults.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur brains love to be stimulated with challenges and opportunities to learn, so anytime you can actively engage that process, your brain will reward you,\u201d explains\u00a0Natalie Dattilo, Ph.D., MHA, director of psychology at Brigham & Women\u2019s Hospital.<\/p>\n
\u201cLearning and other brain-stimulating tasks create stronger neural connections, and we know that a well-connected brain is a healthy brain,\u201d she adds.<\/p>\n
Brain games for adults are a fun way to challenge your mind, especially when you\u2019re spending more time indoors.<\/p>\n
Here are some online and offline options for lighting up your gray matter.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Chess is a classic strategy game, which\u00a0studies\u00a0have found might improve some memory functions, or Go is another ancient strategy game popularized in the movie \u201cKnives Out.\u201d<\/p>\n
Even if you don\u2019t win, there are still benefits.<\/p>\n
\u201cFocusing your attention intently on a task, game, puzzle, or project can help you stay sharp, improve your mood, and decrease stress,\u201d explains Dattilo.<\/p>\n
Online, you can play these strategy games against friends, other humans, or AI opponents.<\/p>\n
Whether it\u2019s a heated Scrabble match in real life or\u00a0Words With Friends\u00a0online, word games are accessible to everyday players.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe use language daily, and these types of games are within our wheelhouse, yet still challenging,\u201d explains Julie Brody Magid, Psy.D., neuropsychologist and clinical director for the McLean Hospital Memory Disorders Assessment Clinic.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s also a strategic element in word generation and placement to maximize your points,\u201d Magid explains.<\/p>\n
Studies\u00a0have also found expert Scrabble players may develop some faster cognitive functions,<\/p>\n
Inspired by a good crossword puzzle?<\/p>\n
An Internet search will provide you endless, free options from newspapers you can do online.<\/p>\n
Research\u00a0has indicated that crossword puzzles might keep your memory sharp as you age.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
It may look like a crossword puzzle with numbers, but Sudoku is a logic-based grid.<\/p>\n
In classic Sudoku, the goal is to fill each column and each row so that it contains all of the digits from 1 to 9.<\/p>\n
\u201cLike exercise, games vary in complexity,\u201d explains Brody Magid. \u201cIt\u2019s important to find a level that pushes you but doesn\u2019t overly frustrate you. There\u2019s a mastery component because it\u2019s satisfying to push hard and finish a task.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sudoku puzzles range in difficulty from beginner to tricky, and you\u2019ll find free brain games online or plenty of apps for Android or iOS.<\/p>\n
Serious jigsaw puzzle purists won\u2019t look at the box when assembling these oddly shaped tiles into a final image.<\/p>\n
Research\u00a0has found jigsaw puzzling can potentially tap into multiple cognitive abilities.<\/p>\n
Looking for an alternative to mindlessly scrolling through your phone when you\u2019re bored?<\/p>\n
A Rubik\u2019s Cube and other twisty puzzles like the\u00a0Megaminx\u00a0keep your mind and hands busy when you\u2019re feeling restless and require excellent spatial abilities to solve, according to some\u00a0researchers.<\/p>\n
Some people are just naturally good at them, but if you take your time or\u00a0follow a guide, you can discover how satisfying it is to solve one \u2014 and start all over again.<\/p>\n
The primary goal of Tetris is to turn and fit falling puzzle pieces into complete rows.<\/p>\n
Researchers\u00a0have looked into the positive effects playing Tetris may have on the visual perception of the spatial relationship between objects.<\/p>\n
Evidence also suggests that other 2-D video games like Angry Birds might also have cognitive benefits.<\/p>\n
Studies\u00a0have found that our brains benefit from exposure to new places \u2014 even new virtual places like 3-D game scapes.<\/p>\n
Switching your TV remote for a game controller could potentially help your brain.<\/p>\n
Developed by researchers,\u00a0Lumosity\u00a0takes cognitive training exercises and turns them into easy-to-learn brain games designed to improve memory, increase focus, and feel sharper.<\/p>\n
While the\u00a0FTC took the company\u00a0to task for overpromising on benefits, it\u2019s still a popular platform for brain games for adults.<\/p>\n
\u201cBroadly speaking, games provide the new experiences our brains need and support cognitive reserve and resiliency,\u201d says Brody Magid. \u201cGames are not necessarily prescriptive or preventative, but they do boost and protect our brain function.\u201d<\/p>\n
So go ahead and give your mind a mental workout!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Binge-watching an entire TV series is an easy escape from everyday stress. But even if you\u2019re sucked into a complex drama about chess or a cleverly spun whodunit,\u00a0studies\u00a0have found too much TV can dampen your memory capabilities. So balance out that must-see TV with some real-life brain games for adults. \u201cOur brains love to be […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4021,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4020","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health"],"blocksy_meta":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4020","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4020"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4020\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4021"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4020"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4020"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4020"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}