How Crossword Puzzles Reduce Stress and Boost Mental Health

How Crosswords Provide a Mental Escape from Stress

While crosswords indubitably challenge and entertain players on a daily basis, they also provide a mental escape from the daily rigors of life. Research has indicated that puzzle games, including but not limited to crosswords, do reduce stress levels and improve a person’s mood by decreasing salivary cortisol and alpha-amylase concentrations. This is essentially a reduction in the hormones that cause stress and this reduced stress leads to improved cognitive abilities and a better attention span.

Not only that, crosswords give players “positive logic stress” which automatically activates a solver’s prefrontal lobe and that enhances their decision-making skills as well as their cognitive balance. It means that playing crosswords or any puzzle games on a regular basis helps redirect a player’s focus which leads them to feel calmer, and happier while providing stress relief.

The “Flow State”: How Crosswords Promote Mindfulness

Because of how much brain power it takes to solve a crossword, many players will often enter a state of heightened concentration where their only focus is the puzzle in front of them. This is a unique mental escape as this focused awareness is in line with the concept of mindfulness. In this state, players will often feel less stressed out as it promotes balance, reduces anxiety, and more as per the American Psychological Association.

That’s because the players have fully immersed themselves into the present moment, leading to a flow state that is often characterized by complete absorption and loss of self-awareness by researchers. That’s thanks to the challenge-skill balance that crosswords have as they often test every level of cognitive and linguistic skills a player has. Many other researchers have also suggested that this level of flow state enhances a player’s state of mind, contributes to a sense of accomplishment, diverts attention from intrusive thoughts, and more.

That breaks the cycle of depressive and anxious thoughts although it may not work for every single player out there.

How Crosswords Can Boost Self-Esteem and Confidence

Puzzle games, including but not limited to crosswords, can be an excellent tool to not just improve a player’s linguistic and cognitive skills but also their self-confidence and mental balance. That’s because engaging one’s mind in a challenging yet entertaining activity often leads to a certain state of peace and focused awareness that wipes the world away. Not only that, regularly solving a crossword, or any puzzle, significantly enhances a player’s mental acuity which naturally leads to a boost in self-confidence especially if a player solves that day’s puzzle.

The art of successfully solving a daily crossword or even a tough one stimulates the reward center in the brain and doing so every day eventually leads to creating a positive self-image. Furthermore, regularly solving a crossword, as mentioned above, also leads to improved linguistic skills. This, on its own, helps improve a player’s self-confidence as they now have enhanced communication skills and a vocabulary to match.

However, this doesn’t happen overnight but instead with daily practice as the gradual improvement eventually leads to big results in the long-term for anyone consistent and patient to wait for the results.

The Mental Satisfaction of Completing a Puzzle

Completing any puzzle, or any task, often leads to a release of dopamine in people, which is a neurotransmitter. This is associated with memory, pleasure, and concentration which helps reinforce the sense of accomplishment a player gets from finishing said task. Eventually, this creates a positive loop for players that motivates them and keeps them running over the course of their lives.

Not only that, research has shown that regularly playing puzzle games reduces stress levels which only helps increase the effect dopamine has on players and it improves their mood as a result. The reduction in stress also comes when solvers are in the midst of a puzzle and hit a focused awareness state, where they’ve fully immersed themselves in the moment. There is also the added bonus of improved problem-solving skills and cognitive flexibility which only adds to the mental satisfaction a player gains from completing a puzzle regularly.

Incorporating Crosswords into a Daily Mental Health Routine

In the modern day, taking care of one’s mental health has become a big thing especially as people have begun to realise that mental health is just as important as their physical health. That has, partly, contributed to the rise of puzzle and word games as players have realized the benefits they offer. It not only improves a player’s linguistic skills but also improves their problem-solving skills and cognitive flexibility.

Furthermore, as an added bonus, research has shown that regularly playing a crossword or a puzzle game helps reduce stress while improving dopamine levels, increasing self-confidence and their ability to concentrate. That’s especially the case with crosswords as the repetitive nature combined with a familiar but enjoyable activity engages multiple parts of the brain while promoting relaxation. The fact that playing crosswords, and other puzzles, in the modern age has also become a social activity further helps improve a player’s mental health by improving their social ties and lifting spirits.