A.J. Jacobs

a cure-all, but it does help a little.

And it's not exclusively puzzles.

It's just about keeping your brain engaged.

You could learn a new language.

You could learn a new hobby.

But puzzles are one way to keep your brain engaged.

But I think there are other advantages in addition.

One is, for me...

It really helps keep my mind flexible.

So puzzles train you to see the world from all these different angles and looking for a solution.

So if you see a clue in the crossword with the word trunk in it, T-R-U-N-K,

You're thinking, okay, well, that could be an elephant trunk.

It could be the trunk of a car.

It could be bathing suit trunks.

What my grandma called bathing suits are trunks.

And that flexibility of mind seeps out into my whole life.

worldview so that when I'm confronted with a problem at work or at home, I'm able to keep my mind flexible and not lock in on, oh, this has to be the answer.

No, I'm able to keep my brain fluid.

And finally,

And this, I think, relates to a lot of your message.