Did you know that the first crossword puzzles originated in England during the 19th century? LocalNews1.org is proud to announce the addition of its own daily crossword. It launches Monday, Oct. 13.
Myles Mellor produces the puzzles. They’ll update every day of the week.
Crossword puzzles are more than just a way to pass time. Let’s dive into a brief history of the idea and some of the cognitive and mental health benefits recognized by the medical and scientific communities.
A brief history of crossword puzzles
What began as simple word squares with letter riddles printed in periodicals and puzzle books evolved into what we know today early in the 20th century.
British journalist Arthy Wynne is credited with creating a “word-cross” puzzle that was published in New York World’s Sunday edition in December of 1913. The layout was a diamond shape, not the square format we know today, and excluded the common black squares.
Due to a typesetting error, the name was accidentally printed as “cross-word,” and the name stuck. The reimagining of the puzzles quickly caught on, and by the “Roaring ‘20s” they appeared on everything from print publications to merchandise.
But not every publication saw the value or appeal in running them. The New York Times initially wrote them off as “frivolous.” But like many aspects of life during that era, World War II changed everything. Shortly after the United States joined the Allied war effort the Times published its first crossword puzzle to provide a distraction for readers during one of the darkest times in world history. By 1950 it was so popular a new crossword puzzle ran every weekday.
Over the ensuing decades crossword puzzles have become more evolved and diverse. From softball pastimes to complex enigmas, they’re now a staple in all kinds of digital and print publications.
Cognitive and mental health benefits of crossword puzzles
While crossword puzzles began as entertainment, their benefits have proven to go beyond simple amusement. They test knowledge, vocabulary, critical and lateral thinking, inference and wordplay. There’s a sense of personal reward when solving them. But they offer a much deeper value the medical research community has been exploring for some time – cognitive and mental health benefits.
The evidence is promising, though not yet conclusive. A component of the Bronx Aging Study tracked older adults who reported doing crosswords and found that doing crossword puzzles delayed the onset of accelerated memory decline in persons who develop dementia by approximately 2.54 years. The same study suggests crossword puzzles may also contribute to cognitive reserve, which helps the brain compensate for aging and/or pathology.
Crosswords also qualify as cognitively stimulating leisure activities, which are associated overall with reduced risk of dementia and milder declines in cognition. A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine found that in a randomized trial of older adults with mild cognitive impairment, subjects assigned to do online crossword puzzles over 18 months showed modest improvements in memory and thinking.
Subjects doing computerized “cognitive games” fared less well. Another study found that crossword puzzles have a cognitive edge over “brain training” games across specific metrics.
Some in the scientific and medical research verticals posit crossword puzzles are often used as baseline activity studies of the brain instead of as the main tested intervention. Data are still being gathered, study sample sizes are limited, and the observed benefits are modest so far. But benefits have been demonstrated, nonetheless.
The last letter
Crossword puzzles provide more than just thinking skills and memory benefits. They expand vocabulary, strengthen spelling, stimulate problem solving and cognitive resilience and offer a satisfying way to relieve stress.
They’ve evolved from a fun newspaper novelty into a daily activity that people look forward to. While the scientific data on crossword puzzles being a cognitive “fountain of youth” is still being discovered, compounding evidence suggests they help delay memory decline and support critical thinking skills.
The staff of LocalNews1.org is pleased to offer this added activity to readers because there’s nothing like the satisfaction of filling in that last letter.
