The joy of puzzles

By Buttonwood

GUESTS who casually glanced into a conference room in the Selsdon Park hotel, just south of London, in August might easily have assumed an examination was taking place. Rows of people were hunched over tables in silence, pens in hand, under the watchful eyes of invigilators. In fact, the event was the World Sudoku Championships, in which 180 people battled it out for the title. The first “sprint” round asked them to solve 10 puzzles in 20 minutes; remarkably one competitor finished with a minute to spare.

When solving a sudoku (a logic puzzle requiring players to place numbers in rows and columns) quickly, it helps to be young. The Chinese champion was just 14 years old; the youngest contestant (from South Korea) was merely 10. Gareth Moore, one of the organisers of the competition, reckons that, once you have passed your early 20s, your best sudoku years are behind you. But that does not mean the rest of us should give up having a try. There is some evidence that attempting puzzles of various kinds is good for our long-term mental health. In particular, it may ward off two of the great scourges of old age—dementia and Alzheimer’s—at least for a time.

Take crosswords, one of the oldest and most popular puzzle types. Around 15% of American adults attempt a crossword, with at least half of those doing two or more puzzles a week. Just as some will be stunned by the speed of sudoku champions, others will be astonished at the mental ingenuity of those who can work out that the answer to “Heggs (11)” is “exasperated” (eggs-haspirated).

A study of 488 elderly people in the Bronx* found that taking part in crossword puzzles delayed the onset of accelerated memory decline by 2.54 years. It was not all good news; once decline does set in, the deterioration is rapid. Patients revert to the mean, in other words. But most people would happily take an extra two years of lucidity, if it were on offer.

Those who are daunted by cryptic clues need not be disheartened. A broader study of American nuns and retired priests found those who pursued various kinds of cognitive activity (which included reading newspapers and visiting museums, as well as doing puzzles) were 47% less likely to develop Alzheimers than those who undertook such activities infrequently.

A number of factors may be at work. One possibility, of course, is that cause and effect are the other way round; that people can complete crosswords because they have not been affected by dementia. However, academics have tried to correct for that factor. One study found that those who took part in intellectual and physical events in middle age were far less likely to develop dementia than those who did not.

Another explanation might be that the parts of brains that deal with crosswords and other puzzles are the least affected by the effects of disease. It is hard to isolate the effect of puzzle-solving completely. Doug Brown, director of research and development at the Alzheimer’s society, says a whole range of factors affect the likelihood of developing dementia, from exercise through diet to smoking.

One possibility is that the brain might be stimulated by new activities, whatever they are; video games, perhaps, or learning a new language. This may help explain why people who are more socially engaged seem to have a better chance of avoiding dementia than others; their brains are being engaged more often.

A study found a link between the reaction of the elderly to new events, or new activities, with cognitive ability among the elderly; the more stimulated they were by new activities, the smarter they were. An interest in new events may even prolong life; a study found that curiosity, while bad for cats, was associated with greater human longevity.

The idea is that stimulating the brain in new ways helps to build up a “cognitive reserve”—rather like the memory stick which people use to back up data on their computers. This may safeguard the brain from damage in the face of the factors that cause Alzheimer’s or dementia. But warding off senility cannot be the only reason people turn to puzzles for relaxation. What seems more remarkable is that such gentle pursuits have survived at all in an era of computer games, which may also help to stimulate the mind. Both kinds of activities serve to take a person’s mind off the stresses of the day, whether it be meeting the boss’s deadline or dealing with a turbulent teenager.

Old-fashioned puzzles are, however, a much gentler pastime. Most computer games involve a default position of “high alert”, either because the player has to ward off bloodthirsty zombies with his machete, launch birds at neighbouring pigs, or match three types of candies. Often this is accompanied by a soundtrack of gunfire, screams or urgent-sounding music. If one’s attention drifts, then defeat is inevitable.

By contrast, a crossword or sudoku or jigsaw can be tackled with a glass of wine to hand and some soothing classical music in the background; if the mind wanders to contemplate the geopolitical situation, or the best destination for the next holiday, then no matter. The puzzle will wait.

Indeed, a big jigsaw puzzle may take days, or weeks to finish; in its early stages, the solver may spend a half an hour session adding only a few pieces. Each extra piece represents a small triumph; a small precursor, of the ultimate satisfaction of popping the last piece into place.

The ability to complete a crossword, sudoku or puzzle is another trait that distinguishes them from most computer games (where there is nearly always another level to master) or indeed from life itself, where every day brings a new task. One cannot solve the world’s problems, or even satisfy the demands of a domineering boss, but one can complete the daily crossword.

These quiet satisfactions may explain why Ravensburger, a German family-owned established all the way back in 1883, still sells 19m puzzles a year in more than 1,000 different patterns. Tim Hall, the managing director of Ravensburger’s UK division, says the puzzle market has steadily grown and is divided into two—starter puzzles for children aged 2-6 and more sophisticated puzzles for adults. A lot of puzzles have 1,000 pieces; the biggest has 32,000. Unlike a sudoku, a jigzaw puzzle can be a collective exercise; families can complete them together or work on different sections.

Although the jigsaw business might seem ageless, it has been subject to technological change. One of the hottest trends is for 3-D puzzles, either of famous buildings like the Eiffel Tower or of branded characters, like Thomas the Tank Engine, for children. And the latest puzzles are made with hand-cut tools to ensure that no two pieces are alike (to ensure that only the “right” pieces fit together; there is no need to force). The best puzzles use thicker cardboard, so the pieces don’t snap, and have a laminated finish that is not subject to glare.

A jigsaw puzzle may also be a useful variety of brain training since it involves visuospatial skills, which rely on a different part of the brain. There is some evidence that finding new challenges for the brain helps to ward off dementia, rather than relying on a single intellectual exercise. Of course, it would be wrong to accept that these activities are a cure-all; the evidence is still patchy. They should be enjoyed for their own sake.

And for those who like stretching their brains, here is a teaser for the holidays.

On a wall are 3 standard on/off switches. One (and only one) controls a light bulb inside a light-tight, well-insulated closet. The other two switches do nothing. You can only open the closet door once, and cannot touch/change any switches after the door is open (or re-closed, for that matter). Damaging or disassembling the door, walls, or switches is against the rules. How can you tell with certainty which switch controls the light bulb? (The answer is here)