There are some wild and exaggerated claims in popular magazines about the health benefits of solving puzzles, particularly of Sudokus. The most important thing to note is that every reader should do their due diligence. You can use popular online search engines to research the impact of solving puzzles on mental health. Please make sure to use neutral search keywords, such as “mental health and puzzles” or “Sudokus and mental health”, so you do not get only the health benefits.  A neutral search keyword is more likely to give you the full picture (i.e., the good and the bad). While we stress that the studies noted below are not conclusive, the suggested benefits are interesting to note.

• A study suggests that the more people above the age of 50 engage in mental puzzles like Sudoku, the better their brains function in terms of attention, memory, and reasoning. This study of 19,078 healthy volunteers aged 50 to 93 years old identified a close relationship between frequency of number‐puzzle use and the quality of cognitive function.

(International Institute of Geriatric Psychiatry: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/gps.5085).

• Kids may learn to think logically, develop their problem-solving skills and this may help them do better in school. (Cambridge University Study: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2713863/How-Sudoku-boost-child-s-brain-power-Puzzles-improve-memory-doing-crosswords-helps-verbal-fluency.html)

• Researchers speculate that keeping the brain challenged and engaged could delay or stave off dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. (https://www.webmd.com/alzheimers/guide/preventing-dementia-brain-exercises)

• Researchers also think that doing Sudoku may trigger dormant “survival” genes in the brain, leading to brain cells living longer and increasing resistance to disease and strokes. (University of Edinburgh study: https://www.cnet.com/news/sudoku-games-could-awaken-survival-genes/)

• Cognitive aptitude is enhanced, and the improvement persists for a long time (American Psychological Association: https://www.apa.org/monitor/2014/10/mind-games).