Clinamenic

Binary & Tweed
In effect, the statefulness of the human mind is what permits the function of memory, and in a poetic sense qualifies the brain qua bioenergetic system as a time machine.
 

Clinamenic

Binary & Tweed
those types of brain exercises are probably really good for you. I get enough brain exercise on dissensus.
Hopefully the exercise is enough to offset the damage, i.e. don't spend too much time in Things Craner will Love.
 

sus

Well-known member
Yeah I feel that way about certain puzzles too. For the ones I do like, like wordle and worldle, its because of A) the immediate gratification (I think its important to observe these life cycles / wave of gratification), and B) the exercise they occasion.

I was just introduced to the quasi-clinical neuropsychological term "idea density" and how it relates to normal trends of cognitive decline and the onset of dementia. I suspect these games could actually be quite healthy in this respect, perhaps especially if you restrict yourself to purely mental engagement with them, i.e. no recourse to supplemental materials.
Almost all the touted cognitive benefits of these games are founded on junk science and not taken seriously, FYI. Not that there's any need to justify playing them for fun
 

Clinamenic

Binary & Tweed
Well I for one would be surprised if these games didn't have a statistical correlation with better cognitive shape, and I consider the fun to be what makes it easier to do these exercises.

I can also just plainly notice that I do math better after actively doing math for a while, just like I notice how its easier to do more sit-ups after I've been routinely doing sit-ups. I think scientific evidence is somewhat superfluous here, but noticing things like dropoff of cognitive function over the course of decades seems like less of an obvious thing notice casually, and may require more formal scientific evidence.
 

Clinamenic

Binary & Tweed
From what I understand, I have my critiques of IQ as a metric, and how we use it as a proxy, but I think games like wordle, sudoku, etc, are games that make exercising these cognitive capabilities more fun.
 

Clinamenic

Binary & Tweed
In other words, reducing these games down to pure fun, without any benefit of general cognitive capabilities, feels misguided to me. If I were to become convinced of this, I would stop playing them. My interest in them would wane considerably.
 
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Clinamenic

Binary & Tweed
Specifically with wordle, I think it is more about fun than about increasing practical skills, but the process of considering possible answers and of scouring your memory for words that fit the bill, I think is intellectually equivalent to muscle-toning exercises.

In terms of how to quantify this, I also suspect existing research would have some blind spots. But to expect otherwise is to fool oneself about the limitations of the scientific method, in my opinion.
 

Clinamenic

Binary & Tweed
I would say that your best chance at a good regular challenge would be an advanced Soduku tbh. Maybe the Guardian "killer" one
I've been at this one for two hours now, and I'm getting the sense that I'd probably have to spend several more to complete it, so I'm surrendering. Might need to start at a simpler level.

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