Any activity that requires using the brain brings a benefit. But some seem better than others.
Today the Sudoku or the entertaining wordle have replaced others hobbies more traditional. But it turns out that one of the most classic, the crosswordit is more efficient when slow cognitive decline and the memory loss associated with age.
Researchers at Columbia University in New York and Duke University in North Carolina have conducted A study for a year and a half, 107 people between 55 and 95 years oldwith mild cognitive impairment. 45 were men and 62 women.
According to the medical website health line, the researchers randomly mixed these people up, and divided them into two groups. One of them would do crossword puzzles, and the rest other hobbies, such as Sudoku either wordle.
Which is better, crossword puzzles, Sudoku or Wordle?
The participants received 12 weeks of training, and then completed different daily exercises, via the computer, for a year and a half.
At the end of the term, they carried out various tests of cognitive ability, as well as a brain scan. To the surprise of the researchers themselves, the group that had done Crosswords showed less cognitive declineand their hypothalamus, which is where long-term memory is, had shrunk less.
The conclusion is that do crosswords is more effective than Sudoku or Wordle for slow cognitive decline Y memory loss.
Dr. Emer MacSweeney believes the explanation is that the best way to exercise the brain is to learn new thingsand in the Crosswords new words are learned or dictionary consultations are carried out, something that does not happen with other hobbies:
“The process of learning new information is the most important thing for the brain. In general, I suspect that people who did crossword puzzles continually learned new information, compared to those who played other games where the same or similar processes are practiced repetitively.“, Explain.
The study also emphasizes that, although the Crosswords they are better than him Sudoku either wordle for slow memory declineYou don’t have to abandon them. Each hobby influences different areas of our brain, and all bring benefits. Practicing several different ones is the best option.
