These Fun Brain Teasers Will Test Your Skills (Or Totally Humble You)

Lots of people use brain teasers and similar games to exercise their noodle, but the jury is still out on whether these types of activities actually help stave off cognitive decline or if they're simply a fun way to pass the time. Some studies report that these types of games improve the "executive functions, working memory, and processing speed" of young people, and others, like this one from Medical News Today, tout the benefits of brainteasers for helping to protect cognitive health in seniors. On the other hand, another study monitored the brain activity, cognitive skills, and decision-making abilities of young people who played cognitive games, and concluded that they don't actually boost cognition. But that doesn't mean you should hang up your puzzler entirely.

Researchers at Duke University monitored participants’ brain activity while they completed simple math problems and found that solving them feels like a reward, which can help combat negative feelings. So at the very least, playing these types of games can lower stress and anxiety, as well as boost happy endorphins in general. Whether you're a fan of Sudoku, visual puzzles like finding Prince George in this collage, crosswords, or even video games or apps, play away. Start with the viral brainteasers below, and see how many you can crack.