Senior Living: Gaming your way to mental plasticity

Solving brain teasers and other types of puzzles requires you to recall facts, manipulate information, and apply logic — all of which reinforce memory pathways and cognitive flexibility. According to Harvard Health, regular engagement with puzzles can improve both short-term and long-term memory by forging new neural connections.

Besides the cognitive benefits, brain teasers can reduce stress and anxiety, and promote a sense of calm by diverting your attention away from everyday worries, making them a healthy coping tool.

And they are fun! They appeal to all ages, are easily accessible, and there is an endless variety of brain teasers: anagrams, rebuses, cryptograms, number sequences, and logic puzzles.

But there is one downside: they can be criminally frustrating!

To help reduce your level of frustration and avoid scrambling your marbles when trying to solve a brain teaser, you can find tips on the website Mind Trick. A team of magicians and educators developed Mind Trick to create fascinating learning experiences, and the website features brain teasers, as well as magic tricks and card tricks. (You can find simple magic tricks to impress your grandchildren, including the floating pen trick at mindtrick.com/easy-magic-trick.)

Try these tips for solving almost any brain teaser.

•  Read Carefully: Don’t skim! Many teasers hide clues in plain sight.

•  Question Assumptions: If the answer seems obvious, it’s probably a trap.

•  Break It Down: Separate facts from red herrings.

•  Think Laterally: Sometimes the answer isn’t logical — it’s creative.

•  Take a Break: Stuck? Step away. Your subconscious loves to solve puzzles while you’re not looking.

Brain teasers are more than just a way to pass the time. They’re a proven tool for boosting memory, creativity, and even social connection. Start simple, and it’s okay to get stumped. The goal is to get your neurons firing, even if you don’t discover the answer.

Now that you have all you need to know to solve any brain teaser, here are three to demonstrate how smart you are. I’ll start with what I think is the easiest.

1. Is the capital of Kentucky pronounced Louisville or Luee-ville?

2. I have a large money box, 10 inches wide and 5 inches tall. Roughly how many coins can I place until my money box is no longer empty?

3. A man describes his daughters, saying, “They are all blonde but two, all brunette but two, and all redheaded but two.” How many daughters does he have?

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One of the strengths of our communities is our local businesses, and many small retail businesses depend heavily on the holiday season. By shopping locally, you not only support those businesses, but you can ask questions in person; see and touch what you’re buying (“It looked so different online!”); and discover those unique, special gifts. So, during this holiday season, don’t forget to shop local!

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When walking through the neighborhood, I avoided stepping on any cracks because I didn’t want to “break my mother’s back.” I received correct answers from Bruce Johnson, Donna Mollet, Judy Kiser, Linda Frizzell, Shelley Hinatsu, Rhonda Spies, Tina Castanares, Rose Schulz, Marny Weting, Debbie Medina, Dave Lutgens, Lana Tepfer, Craig Terry, Ken Jernstedt, Doug Nelson, Kim Birge, Nancy Higgins and Julie Hoffman, this week’s winner of a quilt raffle ticket.

And last week, while listening to Ricky Nelson singing “Hello, Mary Lou,” I missed Nancy Higgins, Lana Tepfer, Keith and Marlene Clymer, Mike Yarnell, and Linda Frizzell.

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At the Mid-Columbia Senior Center’s Nu-2-U Shop, I saw a woman’s straw hat for sale, with the price tag still attached. And if you’re thinking what I’m thinking, you already know the answer to this week’s “Remember When” question. What female country comedian appeared on the TV series Hee Haw, as well as the Grand Ole Opry for more than 50 years, and whose hat is on display in the National Museum of American History? Email your answer to mcseniorcenter@gmail.com, leave a message at 541-296-4788, or mail it with the directions to Grinder’s Switch, Tennessee.

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Well, it’s been another week, trying to learn to speed read so I can keep up with those darn closed captions. Until we meet again, don’t go chasing after what other people want — and you don’t need.

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“The best thing we can do when it is raining is to let it rain.”

— Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

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Nutritious home-delivered and in-person meals are available at noon Monday through Friday unless otherwise noted.

Seniors of Mosier Valley (541-980-1157) — Wednesdays with music on second and fourth Wednesdays; Mt. Hood Town Hall (541-308-5997) — Tuesdays; Hood River Valley Adult Center (541-386-2060); Sherman County Senior and Community Center (541-565-3191); The Dalles Meals-on-Wheels (541-298-8333).

For meal sites in Washington, call Klickitat County Senior Services: Goldendale office (509-773-3757) or the White Salmon office (509-493-3068), and in Skamania County call Senior Services (509-427-3990).