It’s the end of a long work day, and you’re sitting at your computer, mindlessly clicking away. Maybe you’re doing a little shopping, maybe you’re about to watch Netflix: Odds are, no matter what you’re doing, it’s not that great for your brain. Unless, of course, if you happen to be doing a puzzle. Here’s how some experts say that doing puzzles can really help your brain stay sharp, despite the fact that you routinely numb it down by staring at a computer screen: > Different parts of the brain will be exercised depending on what kind > of puzzle you choose. Crossword puzzles challenge the language and > memory areas while jigsaw puzzles provide exercise for the parietal > lobes. We can’t hand you a jigsaw puzzle through the screen, but we do have a tricky word search for your consideration. Don’t dismiss this one: It’s actually a lot harder than you might think. Solve it, and a few other puzzles, below.This puzzle tends to make people very frustrated, but has quite a simple answer. To start, look at this block of text, and see if you can find your name.
Hint: If you were looking for your actual name, you’re going about it all wrong. Don’t scroll down to the next picture until you’re ready for the answer.
Yes, you were supposed to actually find the phrase “YOUR NAME” in the puzzle. However, since most people spend time trying to find their own name, it gets the wheels turning in their brain and they end up moving away from mindless activities like watching TV or shopping.
This is slightly more geared towards kids, but it’s actually kind of difficult. Here, you’re going to want to try and find six hidden words in the image (some are more obvious than others).
Try it again here: This one is slightly more difficult.
It might seem a bit silly, but small exercises like these can really get your brain grapes moving. We’re betting that mind of yours feels better already.
