Building Connections

I’m  not so good in the genre of Rapper or hip hop singers, but I don’t let that deter me when my mind is in tune with a good word puzzle.  Yes, I’m hooked on the NYT word game Connections.

Chances are you played or, at least heard of the New York Times “cult”puzzles.  Over the past few years, Wordle became a staple  as part of millions of peoples daily routine, and I highly recommend the addictive Connections as a new challenge for word puzzle aficionados and word mavens.

Brain training games and puzzles has emerged as a way to optimize your brain’s  efficiency and capacity at any age—the more you challenge your brain, the less likely you are to lose  cognitive abilities over time, such as memory and learning skills

This doesn’t mean you’re necessarily smarter overall,  but it does suggest you may be better at processing certain types of information, and have fun doing it, while building your vocabulary—and learning to think “outside the box.”

I appreciate the magic of words—how they sound, their nuanced meanings, their emotional associations, and the way a word evokes a personal  response. Words are important.  They impact us, change our moods and emotions—and inspire action. They allow us to connect and to comment.

Connections is also different from Wordles or Crossword because it’s a word grouping game about finding common threads between words.  And there are so many choices it’s Impossible to just guess.  But you can access hints.

Think you can find the right word groupings?  Learn how to think “outside the box”—and explore the possibilities.of sequencing.

The next time you go for a run, remember your mind needs a good run too.