It’s Fun! It’s Challenging. But Is It Making You Smarter?

Everyone I know that’s over 50 plays some sort of brain game to keep their thinking strong and their memory clear. I do the NYT crossword, Spelling Bee, and Sudoku. I also play chess and other word and logic games. And I do like to think this is not merely for amusement.

Well, according to Scott Young, I’m probably kidding myself. Playing Sudoku or doing a crossword every day will almost certainly improve my ability to do crosswords and play Sudoku. But it will do little to improve my memory, mental agility, or overall cognition.

Why is that? It’s all about how the brain works, he says. And it makes sense. Check it out here.