Do you have a favorite game or puzzle? Do you play Sisters Cultural Clues Word Search or other games on aarp.org? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
Ever since I was a little Black girl reading for an hour in a yellow school bus heading to an all-white school, I’ve been a self-proclaimed word nerd. I always had at least two fiction books from the school or public library and couldn’t wait for the Scholastic Book Fair to buy more of them filled with word games. I had no idea I was building vocabulary, fostering a love for language, or reinforcing literacy skills. I also had no idea I’d be proclaimed the official word nerd when I read more books as a second grader than anyone else in the school. My prize was a red T-shirt with BOOKWORM written in white letters to prove it.
I just loved words – spoken, written, and in word games. I loved the challenges of seeing how many words I could make from the letters in one word at the top of the page and finishing the Jumble puzzle in the comics section of the newspaper. Wider than my two arms stretched wide, I folded it in half at least three times. I was left with a smile on my face and ink all over my hands.
Now, in my fifties, while I still remember the details of that experience, I sometimes can’t remember where I put my keys, what I had for lunch, or why I walked into a room at any given time. Thankfully, I’m learning my lifelong love for words, and word games are helping me score points for better brain health, memory, reduced stress, and overall wellbeing. And more often, I’m remembering not to leave home without them. Here are three reasons every sister needs word games in her purse.
Improve Brain Health
In our 30’s and 40’s, different parts of our brains can start to shrink, leading to normal age-related cognitive decline. We may experience problems with memory, communication, problem-solving, learning new things, and social interaction. Blood flow in the brain decreases, and communication between our brains and other parts of our bodies is less effective. By 60, the rate of shrinkage increases.
“Word games keep your brain engaged and stimulated, and people who stay cognitively engaged can maintain their more useful brain. There’s evidence that people can still benefit if they are already in their 60’s and 70’s,” said Vonetta M. Dotson, PhD, Director of the Georgia State University Brain Health Clinic, founder and president of Cerebrofit, and author of Keep Your Wits About You: The Science of Brain Maintenance as You Age (Part of the American Psychological Association’s LifeTools Series).
But the key is variety. If you keep doing the same puzzles, they become less challenging and less effective.
Sharpen Memory and Focus
Many clients in their 50s come to Dr. Dotson with concerns about memory. Some are looking for ways to stay mentally sharp after watching a family member lose their abilities due to Alzheimer’s or another type of dementia. One such client and her two daughters noticed a sudden decline in her memory and ability to focus from day to day. Dr. Dotson gave her a battery of cognitive tests and a neuropsychological evaluation, and the results were within normal range. It turned out that the most significant clues were in the timing of the changes, not in the actual changes. She'd had a change in routine.
The patient had gone from getting out of the house, being very involved, and having a job where she supervised people and had no memory or cognitive concerns to suddenly having trouble remembering things and an inability to focus from day to day after she retired.
Dr. Dotson and her client agreed to focus on behaviors that would improve her brain health.
“Neuroimaging research has shown that you can change the structure of your brain and how it functions with brain-healthy behaviors, like being cognitively engaged. Different parts of the brain help us keep our attention focused, multitask, and solve problems,” said Dotson.
According to a study published in the Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society, doing crossword puzzles delayed the onset of accelerated memory decline in subjects who developed dementia by 2.54 years compared to non-puzzlers.
Dotson’s client started doing crossword and word find puzzles, volunteered at an animal shelter, and joined a book club. On her one-year follow-up visit, her cognitive scores had improved, and her memory and attention were better than before she retired.
“She’d found that perfect middle zone of being active and having some structure without the stress of work,” said Dotson.
Reduce Stress
Playing word games can bring you a fresh mind and a new attitude. For a bit of fun, try your hand at blackcrosswords.com. Or, why not make sure your loved ones have a fresh mind, too? Hosting a family and friends’ night will add another brain-healthy behavior to the mix: social engagement. Think Scrabble, Scattergories, Taboo, and Black Card Revoked. Whether you’re stressed at work or in your personal life, giving your brain a break can be a huge win.
First, putting your focus and energy into a game can be a great distraction from the stressor. Second, making new associations between words and ideas can get your creative juices flowing and eventually help you see a new twist on an old idea. Third, the sense of achievement from getting the correct answers can trigger dopamine, the neurotransmitter associated with pleasure and rewards, which can boost your confidence to get the job done.
Suddenly, that problem you were trying to solve at the office doesn’t seem so bad; coming up with a new idea for dinner is a breeze, and you may be more motivated to go to the gym or get busy with your significant other.
Related: Play Sisters From AARP Cultural Clues Word Search
“You can change what aging looks like if you take action to live a life that’s good for your brain,” said Dotson. “Cognitive engagement is living life and having fun, so live and live fully!”
Find more resources on lifestyle issues that impact brain health as you age and evidence-based advice for older adults to maintain and improve brain health from AARP’s Global Council on Brain Health, an independent group of scientists, health professionals, scholars, and policy experts worldwide.
Do you have a favorite game or puzzle? Do you play Sisters Cultural Clues Word Search or other games on aarp.org? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
