Great Mental Excercise: Crossword Puzzles
Most newspaper crossword fans know that the difficulty level of a particular puzzle is distinctly related to the day of the week - as we get closer to the weekend, the puzzles steadily become more challenging. Crossword puzzles are a good example of mental aerobics, tasks or exercises that involve mental effort.
The goal of these exercises is to “shake up” our usual mental assumptions and force us to think of novel solutions. A successful brainteaser or puzzle often gives us a moment of pleasure and satisfaction when we stumble upon the solution - at that moment a “light bulb” of understanding and insight turns on in our brain. Some experts believe this process correlates with the actual “stretching and toning” workout we are aiming to achieve for our brain cells.
An additional boost can come from listening to classical music (an acquired taste) or the Laser Focus program by Holothink (really helps put my brainwaves in focused state).
Tags: concentration, crossword puzzle, focus, mental exercise