Puzzles and the mind,
read honestly.
Short answers to the questions people actually ask about puzzles, brain games and staying sharp, with the primary studies cited and their limits stated.
Our approach to the research
The brain-training industry earned its scepticism. In 2016 the US Federal Trade Commission fined Lumosity for claiming its games could delay memory loss and dementia, and a review of 132 papers found little evidence that training on games transfers to daily life. Since then the honest position has been the useful one, so that is the one we take.
On every page in this section:
- We cite primary studies with the journal and year, link to them, and say what kind of study each is. A randomised trial, a large cohort and a cross-sectional survey support different strengths of claim.
- We separate what puzzles plausibly do (engage attention, keep skills in use, give a small daily sense of progress) from what the evidence does not show (raising intelligence, preventing dementia).
- Brisk scores describe performance in a game. They are not a cognitive assessment and we do not present them as one.
Articles are written by Taro Schenker, who designs and builds Brisk, and carry the date they were last checked. If a study we cite is superseded or we have misread it, tell us and we will correct the page.
- Are puzzles good for your brain?
Frequent puzzlers test better, training stays close to the trained task, and nothing shows prevention. The honest answer, with sources.
- Do brain games work?
Brain training improves the game you practise. Whether it improves anything else is where the evidence gets thin. A plain reading of Simons, Owen, ACTIVE, PROTECT and the FTC case.
- Why a few minutes a day
Spacing, retrieval practice, morning timing and variety: four well-replicated findings behind short daily puzzle habits.
- How to keep your mind sharp
The Lancet Commission, US POINTER and FINGER agree on the big levers. Puzzles are a small part of a bigger picture. Here is the whole picture.
- Is Wordle good for your brain?
Word puzzles are linked with better attention, reasoning and memory in a 19,000-person study. What that does and does not mean for your daily Wordle.
- Are crosswords good for your brain?
The Bronx Aging Study, a 2022 randomised trial and the PROTECT cohort, read without the headlines.
- Does sudoku help your brain?
What a 19,000-adult study found about number puzzles and thinking skills, and why the effect is an association, not a cure.
- Mental math benefits
Simple arithmetic done regularly improved processing speed and executive function in older adults in two randomised trials. What they did and what it means.
- Puzzles for seniors
A practical guide to choosing puzzles later in life, grounded in the research on cognitively stimulating activity.