“Confusing,” “challenging,” “hard” and “annoying.” What connects these four words? You may say that these are all words that describe feelings of frustration. What if I also said “difficult” is a possible word for this category? You may go back and change your answer to “confusing,” “challenging,” “annoying” and “difficult” because “hard” could also fit into another category, like “solids” or “___ times.” What if I told you “difficult” was a red herring, and the category I had in mind for the first four words was “Average New York Times’ Connections experience?”
I’ve failed to complete a Connections puzzle more than I’ve succeeded. The game’s format — categorizing 16 words into four groups — makes it difficult, as an overthinker, to succinctly narrow down categories without running into red herrings. Some days I also lack the cultural knowledge needed for harder groupings, in turn causing me to become impatient and run through my finite guesses. And yet, despite my aggravation with the game, I still come back and play it every day.
Connections is a subjective game. Because different people know different things, the game’s difficulty can vary day-by-day, hence the constant online complaints. It’s not like other NYT word games, like Wordle and Crossword, where the answer is easy to get; particularly with words that seem unfamiliar, I have to think hard about their classification. However, even if I don’t solve the puzzle, I still learn a new word or phrase out of it, along with bonding with extended family members in my word games group chat called “Enrichment Time.” Connections — and other word games like it — have more value to them than what may meet the eye.
Our brains are not wired to like “hard” tasks, as demonstrated by the hedonic principle: Humans would much rather do things that make us feel “good” rather than put ourselves into uncomfortable positions. We psychologically associate “hard” with “bad,” but there is a huge cognitive benefit to stepping outside of one’s comfort zone. When we engage in hard activities, we learn how to persevere in the face of adversity, how to approach a problem with multiple solutions and how to expand our skill sets. It’s why doing something challenging can feel particularly rewarding.
“Fun” doesn’t have to equate to “easy.” If we want to guarantee a 100% success rate with Connections, we can simply look up the answers. There are hundreds of websites dedicated to providing hints and solutions. However, when we take on something hard, it forces us to be more creative. Connections requires us to do exactly this: When we don’t understand a category right away, we have to get creative and think outside the box for solutions. Eventually, once we play the game for long enough, it’ll get to a point where we understand its mechanisms. And when one does succeed at completing a hard puzzle, the brain releases dopamine that makes us feel good after.
We predominantly use our phones to mindlessly scroll, with the average American spending approximately four hours of screen time doing nothing of substance every day. Word games like Connections are easily accessible to the general public. Not only is the game free, but the format is also simple enough for anybody to learn good game strategies. The game also has replay-ability, as new puzzles come out everyday. This accessibility helps transcend the “nothingness” we normally experience on our phones and engages our brains in stimulating puzzles.
Of course, it’s a broad overgeneralization to say everybody likes doing hard tasks. It’s true that those with higher dopamine levels prefer harder tasks than those with lower ones. It’s also true that all of our brains take different paths when completing a complex task. The “low-dimensional manifold” is the part that remembers how to execute a function. When undergoing a difficult task, our brains “reroute” alongside different neurological paths but still get to the same place. So, while the destination is still the same, we may take a “wrong turn” somewhere due to stress induced by the challenge and get stuck.
Still, even though hard tasks generate stress, once we get to the other side, the brain grows. New neurological pathways are created, leading to stronger cognitive skills and decreasing the risk of depression and loneliness. Case in point: Challenging puzzles are worth it, even if we don’t achieve the desired outcome.
Word games like Connections are good for your brain health in general, regardless of age. People older than 50 who complete word games have brain function equivalent to those a decade younger than them. This is because word games increase concentration, increase memory, increase brain capacity and even help those at risk of Alzehimer’s be more socially connected with their peers. These benefits still apply to young people too, and help us break up aimlessly scrolling on our phones.
Of course, one could get these benefits with any word game, not just Connections. However, Connections is different from Wordle or Crossword because it’s a word-grouping game. These games are helpful for developing skills needed in the professional world. In law, Connections can develop better problem-solving and analytical skills, which translate into better arguments. The same can be said for STEM fields, as STEM stresses logistical thinking, a skill important for completing word puzzles. Even in fields like English, word games help expand vocabulary.
Like any game, there are always resources available to help improve. In a Q&A with the New York Times, Connections editor Wyna Liu said word placement is intentional. She also says that when coming across a category with five potential words, pivot to another category to help narrow down groups and eliminate red herrings.
With the correct mindset, Connections can be “fun,” “rewarding,” “beneficial” and “worthwhile.” It’s important for us to step outside of our comfort zone every day and challenge ourselves with hard brain teasers, even if we don’t win every day. As university students, word games can help “keep us young” in a way that our older selves will be grateful for.
Liv Frey is an Opinion Columnist writing about any and all kinds of relationships one can encounter in college. For questions, comments, concerns, inquiries or theories please reach out at livfrey@umich.edu.
