Connections in The New York Times is a daily word game that challenges to find common links among words. It is a fun way to stimulate one’s brain because the puzzle contains 16 words which you have to group into four groups of four based on their connection. Some connections are intuitive, other groupings require a lot of thinking to understand. These features make the game fun and informative all at once.
1. There are 16 words, arranged in a 4×4 grid.
2. Using words, locate four sets of four that match each other in some way.
3. Cross off every right letter and move to the next one.
4. Make four incorrect guesses at most to improve efficiency and timing.
5. All sets have been coloured according to the degree of difficulty, yellow is the easiest, green is modest, and blue, and purple are the hardest.
Connections are a delight for every word enthusiast as predicting patterns and associations helps improve vocabulary and critical thinking.
These words appear in today's puzzle.
1. Yellow group: Epic fail
2. Green group: Once-in-a-lifetime moment, perhaps
3. Blue group: Methods of payment that don't involve cash
4. Purple group: Associated with Amazon or a place in the world
1. Yellow group: Bust, Dud, Flop, Miss
2. Green group: Chance, Shot, Time, Turn
3. Blue group: Card, Charge, Credit, Plastic
4. Purple group: Kindle, Prime, Rainforest, River
New York Times games like Wordle and Connections are fun and challenging but there is nothing to suggest they will stave off or slow down age-related cognitive loss.
Susanne Jaeggi, a professor with the Center for Cognitive and Brain Health at Northeastern University said that as much as they prompt people to think in new ways, they’re not necessarily improving people’s brain health.
“As always in science, (the answer is) not that simple,” Jaeggi further added. “There are a lot of different things that contribute to our brain health… As long as you’re doing something that keeps your brain engaged and fit, that could potentially help prevent age-related cognitive decline. Whether it’s exactly these games, that’s an open question, because a lot of these are new and there’s not a lot of (research) out there.”
Games that require recalling information, such as crosswords, keep the type of mental acuity that includes a sort of automaticity. Thus, these puzzles do not bolster fluid functioning, such as problem-solving or memory, which generally decline with age. More effective methods to protect cognitive health are the adoption of a healthy lifestyle, the acquisition of new skills, and challenging your brain through novel activities.
Therefore, one should enjoy playing games for entertainment purposes rather than its benefit to their cognitive health.
Happy puzzling!