They say variety is the spice of life, but did you know it’s also key to keeping your brain nimble and healthy?

A study published in the Journal of Gerontology: Psychological Sciences found that people who perform a wider variety of different activities keep their brains functioning better over the years. That’s because doing a mix of daily activities keeps you on your toes by putting you in different situations that require a range of responses.

Engaging in what the study calls “activity diversity” can also be a lot of fun: You can incorporate entertaining activities like brain teasers into a mix of habits including exercise, leisure time, volunteering, spending time with kids and helping others. Puzzles provide an enjoyable challenge, and they require you to use brain power to find the solution.

If you want to add brain teasers to your routine, here are two to get you started: “In the Balance” and “Switcheroo.” The first is a logical and numbers game that requires spatial reasoning and a bit of math. The second is a word game that also incorporates numbers.


To solve “In the Balance,” look at the first three scales, which are perfectly balanced and hold different numbers of colored shapes (red squares, blue circles and purple diamonds) on each side. By studying these scales, you can determine how many green triangles you need to balance the fourth scale.

in the balance puzzle

Were you able to solve it? Click here to double check your answer.


Now switch gears to a word-focused challenge with “Switcheroo.” To solve this puzzle, look at the first word and its equivalent, given in numbers. Then look at the second word, made from mixing up the letters of the first word, to figure out its numerical equivalent.

switcheroo puzzle

Were you able to solve it? Click here to double check your answer.


If you gave your brain a workout by mixing numbers problems and word games with these two brain teasers, comment and let us know. Are you more of a numbers person or a word person? Was it hard to switch back and forth between the two? Tell us how long it took you to solve these puzzles, and let us know if you plan to make brain teasers a regular part of your daily routine.