You may have seen an elderly woman in the corner filling out crosswords or word hunting games. It isn’t just a way to pass the time. It is possible that her doctor recommended word games like these for health reasons instead of spending time watching TV. Here’s how word games can benefit people in many ways.
It Boosts Creativity
Word games can boost creativity. A word unscramble tool like WordfinderX lets you create word unscrambling games of varying lengths, and you can add wild card spaces to make it that much harder. Word association games and categorization games like the alphabet game give you good reason to think in new ways.
It Delays Mental Decline
We mentioned that your grandmother may have been advised to take up word games like crosswords by her doctor. Why? Because it stimulates the brain in a way that casually staring at a screen does not. This is linked to a reduced risk of dementia and memory loss. It is also affordable relative to alternatives like traveling the world to immerse yourself in unfamiliar cultures. It is also more accessible than trying to learn new skills from painting to pottery to new languages.
It Can Improve Memory
Practice makes perfect. If you’re learning new words, playing games with those words will reinforce their proper spelling, pronunciation and/or meaning, based on the games you play. For example, crosswords and hangman can’t be solved correctly if you misspell the words. Unscramble games based on vocabulary word and spelling lists will help you memorize the words, too.
It Can Boost Your Vocabulary
Reading by itself can boost your vocabulary, if it is forces you to learn new words. Reading fiction can improve your empathy and abstract thinking by introducing you to new scenarios. But not everyone has the time to read short stories or books. You can get some of the same benefits by playing word games. For example, word association games and category games may increase your vocabulary.
It Improves Concentration
This is truer for timed games than untimed games. Whether you’re playing Boggle or have a countdown on your turn with Words with Friends, you’re going to have to concentrate on the game to come up with a solution in time if you don’t want to lose. If you want to make the game more challenging, just shorten the time you have to complete the crossword or hangman puzzle.
It Can Reduce Stress
Playing games can be fun. If there is a social aspect to the game, then the socialization itself reduces stress. This is why playing a game like Scrabble or Words with Friends can reduce stress far more than what you’d experience if you were doing a crossword, but doing the crossword is far less stressful than sitting alone in the corner thinking.
It Can Strengthen Social Skills
We learn how to relate to others through play in the first few years of life. Playing games with others help us maintain or refine these social skills. It reminds you to take turns and be patient with others. There’s a direct payoff because that is necessary to continue the game.
