No, playing brain games won’t make you smarter – they’re just a bit of fun
All you learn from solving brain teasers, puzzles and crosswords is how to solve them better, say experts; there’s no wider application to real-world tasks
Can brain games make you smarter?
The short answer: No
Brain games such as puzzles, teasers, riddles, crosswords, and quizzes are marketed as easy and effective ways to expand your mind and increase intelligence. Many of us play these games in the hopes that they will sharpen our memory and improve our brain function.
Unfortunately, brain games do not make us smarter. According to Dr Kin-Lun Tsang, a specialist in neurology at Hong Kong’s Matilda International Hospital on The Peak, at best they provide mental stimulation. “There is little evidence that playing brain games improves [one’s] underlying broad cognitive abilities or that it enables one to better navigate [the] complex realm of everyday life,” Dr Tsang says.
It’s a controversial subject, says Lydia Yee, assistant professor at the department of psychology at the Education University of Hong Kong. “The brain is made up of cells called neurons,” she says. “Neurons are not physically connected to each other. Instead, there is a gap, known as the synapse, between them. When neurons communicate with each other, they release chemicals called neurotransmitters that cross the synapse to transmit signals from one neuron to the next.”
