Brainteasers are a great way to push the mind to its limits.
They can come in many different forms, they can be observational, analytical, or mathematical. This brainteaser from GCHQ is an example of an analytical brainteaser.
In the graphic above is a list of four words, Madison, Saturn, Do, Nitrogen, and Exodus.
GCHQ is asking you to find the word inside these words. Can you work out what it is in under 10 seconds?
Did you work it out? No worries, if not.
According to GCHQ, the answer is “Index”. They explained: “Each word is the nth in a sequence. US Presidents, planets in the solar system, the tonic sol-fa scale, the periodic table, and books of the bible. By taking the nth letter in the word you can spell out INDEX.”
This is just one of a number of brainteasers produced by GCHQ as a way to test the minds of its users.
As well as being a great way to kill time in a quiet moment or on the morning commute, brainteasers could have other benefits.
In the way cycling or running exercises the muscles in the legs, brainteasers exercise the mind, keeping it healthy and sharp.
According to some experts, mental exercises like brainteasers and crosswords could potentially reduce someone’s risk of dementia in the long term.
This doesn’t mean brainteasers can stop someone from getting the condition, other lifestyle habits and factors can have a much bigger impact, but they could provide necessary exercise to exercise one of the body’s most important organs.
