Jul

18

Can Sudoku Make You Smarter?

Filed Under sudoku, sudoku puzzles 

Brain Games like Sudoku are becoming more and more popular. The main reason most people play them is not an attempt to make themselves smarter, but because they are fun to do, and can actually be very relaxing. There are all different types of brain games, some sold as expensive electronic interactive games, others available to play freely on the web, and some, that do not require computer intelligence, can be found in newspapers, magazines and dedicated puzzle volumes.

Whether brain games, and in particular Sudoku, make you smarter, is an interesting question. The traditional brain game, which for years has been a ubiquitous presence in newspapers, is the crossword puzzle. These word exercises can clearly have an obvious positive effect on your intelligence if you do them regularly. They can improve your vocabulary, and improve your understanding of a word`s meaning and usage. However, unless you have a good general knowledge and vocabulary in the first place, the crossword puzzle can be completely impenetrable to you. Sudoku is quite different. Firstly, it requires no prior knowledge to play. Although it may at first appear to be an horrifically complex maths problem, it is in reality merely a problem that can be solved by arranging the numbers and no arithmetic is required for success. Indeed, no knowledge is required to successfully complete a Sudoku puzzle, except the few basic rules.

If a Sudoku puzzle is simply arranging symbols in a particular way, how can it make you smarter? You aren’t practicing maths, learning words, or improving your general knowledge. Recent research has shown that in fact you don`t need to be learning useful intellectual skills to be making yourself smarter. Simply by exercising your brain, using a Sudoku puzzle, or some other kind of brain training, can improve the fitness of your brain. Just like exercising your body makes that healthier and fitter, and means you can complete tougher physical challenges without becoming exhausted, so exercising your brain prepares you to face tougher mental challenges, whatever they may be. So Sudoku can make you smarter! In particular it can help slow down the natural mental decline that happens as you get older. However, while training your brain can make you sharper, more confident and better at making decisions, it won`t make you a genius. A good tip is to keep pushing yourself. Once you’ve mastered the easier Sudoku, you should set your brain the greater challenge of completing the harder ones. In addition there are plenty of other brain games out there to try, and playing a variety of games will improve your mental agility even more. As a sidenote, Battle Strikers looks like a great game for this Christmas.

It may not make you a genius, but you can improve your brain`s everyday performance by playing Sudoku. It is always good to keep your brain active, and continually challenge yourself. It will make your brain sharper, and will slow down the mental decline that is a natural result of getting older.



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