These related articles are interesting:
- Gym workouts and sunbathing do more for your brain than crosswords and Mozart -- "Doing puzzles and listening to classical music might improve your concentration momentarily, but they don’t actually make you any smarter. That is, they don’t improve your long-term brain function, according to The Economist’s interview of Nicholas Spitzer, a professor of neuroscience at the University of California and editor-in-chief of BrainFacts.org."
- Crosswords don’t make you clever
A summary:
- "Many people think classical music is going to enhance brain function (the Mozart effect) or playing particular games sharpens ones cognitive function. These theories have been looked at in detail and they don’t stand up."
- "...what we have learned is that exercise is the key thing for brain function."
- Playing an instrument "has clear cognitive functions that do crossover. Especially learning to play and read the music at the same time."
- "...exercise is number one, diet number two and then social interaction."
What do you think?