Alexis Kestler
Hey there! Looking for ways to boost your thinking skills and give your brain a robust workout? As a cognitive scientist and avid gamer, I totally get the appeal of puzzle games. Let me walk you through how these games can enhance your cognitive abilities, and recommend some top-notch iPhone puzzle games to try.
Based on research in neuroscience and psychology, we know the brain is incredibly malleable. Just like going to the gym builds stronger muscles, exercising your brain with challenging mental tasks makes your thinking skills sharper. Puzzle video games are an excellent way to train up core cognitive abilities.
The Brain Benefits of Busting Puzzles
Lab experiments reveal that playing puzzle games can improve skills like:
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Working memory – The ability to juggle multiple pieces of information. Vital for learning, reasoning and comprehension. In one study, playing the physics game Cut the Rope for just 2 hours per week boosted working memory [1].
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Visual-spatial skills – The ability to visualize and mentally manipulate objects in space. Used for tasks like packing luggage, assembling furniture, and parking your car. Multiple studies find video games (including Tetris and Zuma) enhance spatial cognition [2].
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Executive functions – Higher reasoning skills like planning, focus, task-switching and inhibition of impulses. Essential for achieving goals, managing daily responsibilities, and regulating behavior. Research shows regularly playing strategy games strengthens executive functioning [3].
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Processing speed – How quickly your brain perceives information, interprets it, and responds accordingly. Key for keeping up with complex real-time tasks. Action video games are proven to increase processing speed [4].
Besides strengthening specific thinking skills, puzzle games also provide a mood boost from dopamine released when you solve challenges. This can lower stress and improve motivation. One study found participants who played the physics game Cut the Rope regularly had lower anxiety and depression [5].
So in short, flexing your brain muscles with puzzles generates cognitive gains with feel-good benefits!
Now, let’s explore some stellar iPhone options to get you started. I’ve played all of these games myself and ranked them by cognitive skills targeted.
1. Cut the Rope – Spatial Skills and Strategy
This physics-based game has you cutting ropes to cleverly guide candy into a cute monster’s mouth. With over 425 levels, it challenges you to anticipate swinging trajectories while collecting stars and avoiding obstacles.
Cut the Rope excels at building visual-spatial skills as you manipulate objects in a 2D space. It also exercises strategic thinking to plan the optimal candy path. This award-winning game is free to play, with in-app purchases for bonus perks.
2. Brain Test: Tricky Puzzles – Flex Your IQ
This game packs thousands of increasingly tricky questions, logic puzzles, quizzes and brain teasers. Brain Test challenges you to think outside the box as you tackle numerical reasoning, verbal analogies, visual pattern recognition and more.
Regularly playing pumps up your IQ while improving concentration and mental flexibility. Brain Test is free, or you can opt for a subscription to get bonus hints and no ads.
3. Good Sudoku by Zach Gage – Logical Thinking
I adore this modern spin on classic Sudoku. With over 70,000 handcrafted puzzles across 5 difficulties, it lets you incrementally build your logical thinking and pattern recognition skills. Helpful hints guide you without giving away answers.
Good Sudoku is free to play, or you can unlock premium features like new visual themes for a one-time in-app purchase. This is my go-to game for getting into a focused flow state.
4. Where‘s My Water? 2 – Spatial Reasoning and Physics
In this fluid dynamics game, your job is to guide water to an alligator named Swampy by slicing dirt and moving parts around each level. With over 100 stages, it challenges you to apply real-world physics knowledge.
Where‘s My Water? 2 boosts spatial awareness as you visualize then alter paths and barriers. It also builds critical thinking to understand cause-and-effect relationships. This game is free to play, with in-app purchases for helpful bonus features.
5. Brain it On! – Creative Problem-Solving
Each level in this physics game displays a goal, like getting a ball to a star. You must draw objects like ramps and levers to guide the ball. With multiple possible solutions, it promotes flexible, out-of-the-box thinking.
Brain it On! is currently free to play by unlocking levels. A one-time in-app purchase unlocks handy hints plus the ability to design your own levels. Give those creativity muscles a workout!
6. Elevate – Master Fundamental Skills
Elevate calls itself a “personal trainer for your brain” – and that’s an apt description. This app offers 35 mini-games tailored to sharpen skills like focus, processing speed, memory, math skills, and problem-solving.
It’s ideal for efficiently strengthening core cognitive abilities. Elevate tracks your performance so you can monitor improvements in each area. A free version is available with upgrade options for premium features.
Choose Games That Target Different Skills
I recommend sampling a variety of iPhone puzzle games to give your brain a well-rounded workout. Try to alternate games that mainly challenge distinct cognitive abilities:
- Logical reasoning – Sudoku, chess, regulatory puzzle games
- Visual-spatial skills – Physics games, sliding block puzzles, Rubik’s cube
- Memory – Concentration/matching games, narrative puzzle games
- Processing speed – Timed brain teaser games, fast-paced action puzzles
- Creativity – Open-ended building/construction games, Rube Goldberg machines
- Strategy – Resource management puzzles, tower defense games
It’s best to play in shorter sessions – research suggests just 15-30 minutes per day provides cognitive benefits. But don’t forget to increase difficulty as your skills improve!
Final Thoughts
Puzzle games are a blast when you’re bored, but more importantly, they make your brain sharper. Regular mental workouts enhance your reasoning, memory, focus, spatial skills and more. Plus, you get that sweet dopamine hit when tackling a challenge!
I hope these iPhone game recommendations provide a solid start for honing your thinking skills. But don’t stop here – with so many ingenious puzzles available, you’ll never run out of new mental terrain to explore. Feel free to ping me if you discover any brilliant brain-training games I should try next!
