Jumpstart Your Day with Brain Games
EACH DAY BEGINS at the breakfast table overlooking the garden. With the morning news on low, I sip from a steaming cup of dandelion tea and open my favorite app, Words with Friends2- a top-rated social brain game similar to Scrabble. I have been playing Words with Friends since 2011.
Gameplay typically lasts 30 minutes. I usually have five or seven games going, but sometimes more. Rush through a turn? Not my style. Taking the time to figure out the highest scoring word is a must. However, there are times when that last bar on the strength meter refuses to light. Additionally, I like to meet the game’s daily and weekly challenges, claim my rewards, and check my stats: average word score 34; best word score 287; average game score 427; highest game score 665. And, yes, my cup of tea inevitably runs cold.
More Mental Exercise
Next on the menu is a mug of coffee frothed to mustache-making perfection with a side of crosswords from The Sunday New York Times‘ new print section, At Home. Chock full of puzzles, newspaper crafts, ideas for socially-distanced activities, recommendations, and recipes, At Home has become the section that I savor all week long. And, if that’s not puzzling enough, there are even more word games to enjoy in NYT’s weekly magazine supplement.
The Benefits of Brain Games
With the rise in popularity of brain game apps such as Words With Friends, Lumosity and Elevate, the ability to exercise your mind and maintain mental fitness is now in the palm of your hand.
But, can you train your brain?
In an article from Harvard Health Publishing, they state that playing games like chess or Scrabble or doing puzzles does stimulate your brain’s activity. It may even “help sharpen certain thinking skills that tend to wane with age, such as processing speed, planning skills, reaction time, decision making, and short-term memory, according to a study in the November 2016 International Psychogeriatrics.”
So, word games are how I choose to start my day. They are the caffeine that jolts my brain and gets it running. And a mind running on letters and how they fit together to form words to convey meanings is essential for a freelance copywriter, which is what I am.
Introducing CopyFlora…
Hello. My name is Kim Gombes. I am a freelance copywriter and owner of CopyFlora. And, I’d like to welcome you to Flora’s Corner. Here, we’ll talk about all things wordy. From books and games to everything in between, I have a love of words that I am eager to explore and share with you. I thank you for stopping by and hope you will visit regularly.
By the way, that word that scored 287 points? Benzines. Science words- always good scorers!
