Thinking Through Brain Games

Thinking is one of the amazing functions of the human brain. Still the subject of much debate and research into topics such as how we think, why we think and what thinking means there is no doubt that our ability to think, problem solve and come up with creative solutions is something that sets humans apart from other animals.

While research and studies continue to map the human brain for clues as to how thoughts are formed and how thinking develops enough information has been gathered to prove that thinking is a skill and one that can be trained and improved through mental exercises.

Problem solving and thinking go hand in hand. Since man first started to walk the earth he has been in a constant state of finding solutions to everyday problems such as finding shelter, feeding himself and his family, avoiding danger and even pondering his own existence, the eternal 'why am I here' question. Almost everything man has achieved is the result of thinking and the more we progress the more our thought processes will develop to solve new challenges here on earth and perhaps even in outer space.

Unfortunately, as with athletic ability, many people think a creative mind is something you are born with. The same way a world class sprinter doesn't simply run fast great thinkers throughout history didn't just sit around and let inspiration knock them on the head. As the sprinter trains day in and out to perfect his stride, starting jump and breathing a creative thinker needs to train his brain through puzzles and riddles that force him to find creative solutions to complex problems. Brain games, and in particular thinking games, are designed to help stretch the human brain to allow for new information to be processed that can change the way we look at a problem.

Research has shown that many people have trouble solving puzzles and math problems because they don't know how to 'see' the problem. The classic tale of the little girl who suggests to the driver of a tractor trailer that is stuck under a bridge how releasing the air from his tires should allow enough heard room for the truck to pass under the bridge is a good example of seeing a problem.

Through brain games and thinking games we actively train our mind to turn problems around and upside down until we can find a solution to it. This falls in line with the adage that there is no such thing as one answer to any question. Releasing the air from the tires was just one solution, but a good one that happened to work.

When people find themselves stuck trying to find a solution to a computer program code, math equation or simple crossword puzzles one of the best ideas is to leave the problem alone and go do something else. Many people find a solution will suddenly come to them when they have forgotten about the problem. Too often we get stuck in our own thought process and can't force ourselves to broaden our minds. Brain games help to train your brain to open up new areas of thinking that allow us to conceptualize new solutions to old problems.