15 games that might make you smarter just by playing them
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One area of optimization that I’ve been particularly drawn to has been games that challenge you to develop your mental skills in a fun and engaging way.
Plus, it only took a summer vacation for me to feel totally out of sync on the first day back in elementary school, and as an adult, it can feel like your skills and expertise are constantly narrowing and thinning; you flex the same mental muscles at work and get better and better at a specialized job, but you stop finding new hurdles to jump over and new puzzles to solve creatively.
Games that challenge you to think differently, imagine, and solve ever-changing problems that don't allow you to get used to them and fly on autopilot are a particularly valuable use of your time: They make you happy and provide enjoyment at the same time that they sharpen your mental abilities.
Whether it’s fiddling with a Rubik’s cube or filling out Sudoku on the subway while you’re stalled, it’s a nice to constantly be improving yourself in a way that doesn’t feel tedious. If you can have fun and become more mentally dexterous, why would you not?
Below are 15 games that rely on your strategic, critical-thinking, and imaginative abilities.
Lumosity Brain-Training App, free to download
Itunes
Lumosity is a well-known name in the 'brain-training' game. It's used by over 85 million people worldwide and offers 30+ brain games to give your mind a workout. You can track your scores to see improvement over time and compare your own against the scores of other people. The ease of the app is supposed to make building a brain training habit easy.
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Chinese Mahjong set with compact wooden case, $72.99
Amazon
It's been observed that mahjong, regardless of the frequency of playing, produces positive improvements in cognitive performance in persons with dementia. The study found that Mahjong is a viable option for treating dementia. If it's good that far down the line, it's very unlikely to do you any harm by playing earlier.
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Hasbro Scrabble Crossword Game, $16.99
Amazon
If you want to increase your confidence with words, quickness of thought, or just want to expand your vocabulary, the well-loved board game Scrabble is a shoe-in for the job. The ever-changing mix of words available to you in addition to those made by your opponent can sharpen your thinking and turn you into the sort of wordsmith who doesn't need to check the dictionary to see if they really did just play a real word or not.
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