--- title: Brain Games: Do Brain Games Keep My Mind Sharp? description: Lay off the brain games: the most effective way to keep your brain sharp might surprise you canonical: https://time.com/3423009/brain-games-keep-my-mind-sharp/ author: Markham Heid article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-09-24T12:00:54.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-19T07:44:05.624Z article:section: Health og:title: You Asked: Do Brain Games Keep My Mind Sharp? og:description: Drop the crosswords and Sudoku and try these better ways to strengthen your brain og:url: https://time.com/3423009/brain-games-keep-my-mind-sharp/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt37cbe8d6639c643d/6986a507169ab0c32227b59c/you-asked-how-to-keep-my-brain-sharp.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1500 og:image:height: 844 og:image:alt: you asked how to keep my brain sharp og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: You Asked: Do Brain Games Keep My Mind Sharp? twitter:description: Drop the crosswords and Sudoku and try these better ways to strengthen your brain twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt37cbe8d6639c643d/6986a507169ab0c32227b59c/you-asked-how-to-keep-my-brain-sharp.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # You Asked: Do Brain Games Really Improve Memory? > Sponsored content. 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He is the author of The Habit Trap, due out in early 2027. Sep 24, 2014 12:00 PM UTC Games sure seem like a good way to work your brain out, but don’t put your stock in Sudoku. “They target very specific cognitive abilities, but they don’t transfer to clarity of thinking, problem solving, planning—all the complex skills that really matter,” explains Dr. Sandra Bond Chapman, chief director of the Center for Brain Health at the University of Texas at Dallas and author of _Make Your Brain Smarter_. When it comes to keeping your brain real-world strong, research has shown–over and over again–two activities to be worth your time. The first is aerobic exercise, says Dr. Karen Li, head of Concordia University’s laboratory for adult development and cognitive aging. By bolstering your cardiovascular fitness and blood circulation, exercise nourishes your brain with the nutrients and oxygen it needs to perform optimally, Li says. But physical activity offers more than just brain fuel. “Some brain regions and functions seem to benefit more than others,” she explains–specifically the frontal lobe, responsible for high-level skills related to complex processes like multitasking. “That tells us aerobic exercise helps the brain work more efficiently.” Whether you enjoy running, speed walking, gardening or hiking, “as long as you sweat a bit and your heart rate goes up, that’s what your brain needs,” Li adds. Chapman agrees. “Skip the Sudoku and get out and exercise,” she says. (The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends all adults get at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise a week.) Along with physical activity, your brain needs _mental_ stimulation to stay hale and fit. And when it comes to mental stimulation, novelty is important, Li explains. Here’s why: The more you use your mind to perform a task—whether it’s cooking your favorite dish or driving to the supermarket—the less effort your brain requires to complete that task. “If you feel like your brain’s on autopilot most or all of the time, that’s an indication that you need to increase the challenge a little bit,” she says. One of the best ways to do that is to stay socially active, Li says. “Following and contributing to a conversation requires a lot of mental prowess.” Visiting intellectually invigorating places, like museums or cultural centers, and learning new skills are also great ways to keep your brain in shape. Even mixing in some variety when it comes to your favorite activities—like trying out a new recipe or cooking technique—will keep your mind off autopilot. ### You Asked: Your Top 10 Health Questions Answered  You Asked: Are Cleanses Healthy? Potions that claim to clear your body of toxins might sound alluring, but do they deliver? Illustration by Peter Oumanski for TIME  You Asked: Is Eating Dessert Really That Bad For Me? Bad news for sweet-eaters—except if you end your meals with this kind of treat. Illustration by Peter Oumanski for TIME  You Asked: What’s the Best Way to Whiten My Teeth? Yes, teeth whitening actually works—but here's why you have to dish out major bucks to see results. Illustration by Peter Oumanski for TIME  You Asked: Is Meditation Really Worth It? From easing stress to lowering heart disease risk, focusing your mind can do some amazing things for your body. Illustration by Peter Oumanski for TIME  You Asked: What’s the Healthiest Sweetener? Take a taste of the unsettled science of sweeteners. Illustration by Peter Oumanski for TIME  You Asked: Should I Go Paleo? The pros and cons of eating like a caveman. Illustration by Peter Oumanski for TIME  You Asked: Is Cracking Your Knuckles Bad? Here's what really happens to your joints when you snap, crackle and pop. Illustration by Peter Oumanski for TIME  You Asked: Is Running on a Treadmill as Good as Running Outside? You'll fool your body into thinking it's outside with this one small treadmill tweak. Illustration by Peter Oumanski for TIME  You Asked: Does Laughing Have Real Health Benefits? Here's proof that everybody could use a belly laugh. Illustration by Peter Oumanski for TIME  You Asked: What Is My Poo Telling Me? If you listen hard enough, you'll hear all kinds of health stories from #2. Illustration by Peter Oumanski for TIME But there’s a catch. “It’s important that you feel genuine interest in these activities,” Li says. Practicing a foreign language for 30 minutes a day is a good way to challenge your brain, but if you feel _meh_ about one day speaking fluent French, your mind won’t benefit as much as it would from something that truly excites or interests you. If museum visits or learning new languages doesn’t float your boat, Chapman offers an alternate way to fire up your idling brain. “Challenge yourself to think in top-down, complex ways as you go about your day,” she recommends. When you watch a television show or read an article (like this one), pause once you’ve finished to really dissect the information you’ve just encountered. “Zoom out, then zoom in,” Chapman says. Start as broadly as you can (this is a health article) and work your way down (about the brain) until you’ve gotten to the nitty gritty—things like themes or lessons you could take away from what you’ve just seen or read (surely, too numerous to list). “People take in a lot of information—probably more than we ever have before—but it’s not making us smarter because we’re not spending much time making sense of it,” Chapman says. “Try to push yourself out of your mental comfort zone by asking what about the information _matters_.” This is especially important for older retired adults who aren’t faced with the everyday intellectual challenges presented by work or school. “We’re all going to be living longer,” Chapman says. “Along with aerobic exercise, engaging your brain in complex ways is absolutely necessary to keep your mind sharp in the second half of life.” ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3423009/brain-games-keep-my-mind-sharp/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3423009/brain-games-keep-my-mind-sharp/"},"headline":"You Asked: Do Brain Games Really Improve Memory?","datePublished":"2014-09-24T12:00:54.000Z","dateModified":"2026-08-19T07:44:05.624Z","description":"Unhand the crossword: it's not your golden ticket to a lifetime of quick wit and perfect recall","url":"https://time.com/3423009/brain-games-keep-my-mind-sharp/","keywords":["Aging","Mental Health/Psychology","You Asked"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt37cbe8d6639c643d/6986a507169ab0c32227b59c/you-asked-how-to-keep-my-brain-sharp.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Markham Heid","jobTitle":"","url":"https://time.com/author/markham-heid/"}],"articleSection":"Health","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt37cbe8d6639c643d/6986a507169ab0c32227b59c/you-asked-how-to-keep-my-brain-sharp.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"you asked how to keep my brain sharp","caption":"","creditText":"Illustration by Peter Oumanski for TIME","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/section/health/","name":"Health"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/tag/aging/","name":"Aging"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3423009/brain-games-keep-my-mind-sharp/","name":"You Asked: Do Brain Games Really Improve Memory?"}}]}] ```