When it comes to the argument of what kind of games stand at the top when it comes to educational benefit, there's no question that word games are the winners. It's no wonder why many people love playing word games. They are the perfect way to combine fun and vocabulary. Word puzzles are brain teasers that offer a little challenge while testing your language skills, but did you know they also have mental health benefits? We all need outlets to help us face the day, and that can be word games for you if you decide to give them a chance and play them from time to time. Here's how some games can be beneficial for your mental health.

Benefits of Word Games

Stress Relief

Word games have a role in releasing tension and relieving stress. You probably noticed how you lose yourself in the game and forget about all your problems. They are also known to release dopamine, which is the hormone responsible for making us feel pleasure, optimism, and satisfaction.

Improves Your Vocabulary

There's no joy like being able to use big words and understanding complicated terms. Word games offer that. After a while of playing, you will find that you've learned new words you wouldn't have heard of otherwise. Not only does learning new words and expanding your vocabulary make you feel good, but it's also a factor in personal development and may help advance your career, especially if you are a writer. Not to mention, it can make you look smart.
There are different ways you can expand your vocabulary. One of them is learning anagrams. Anagram means when two different words have the same letters. They can have the same meaning, opposite meanings, or relevant meanings. Pat and tap are anagrams, in addition to evil and vile. Anagrams can help you create a shortcut of learning words. You can use an online unscrambler for anagrams that will go a long way in training your mind to work faster and learn new anagrams. Unscramblers are a good way to learn words when playing word games.

Helps You Socialize

Word games are a great way to get to know people. You can gather new or old friends and play together in teams, which will make you all bond. Socializing has a lot of mental health benefits. It can improve your mood, according to research. There are various mental and physical health benefits for socializing, such as stress relief and relaxation.

Helps in Concentration

Concentration is an important skill we need in everyday life, from doing simple things to solving big problems. You will need to be concentrating in order to solve word games, especially puzzle games. The more difficult the word is, the more concentrated you need to be. After a while of playing regularly, you will notice yourself solving them faster. You will notice that you have a better focus on other aspects of life as well.

Can Improve Brain Functions

Playing word games can improve various brain functions like problem-solving, memory, cognition, and creativity. All of them can make life easier and can help you advance in your career and one a more personal level.

Popular Word Games and Their Mental Health Benefits

Crosswords

Crossword puzzles are the most famous word game. They are old-fashioned but timelessly entertaining. Their most obvious benefit is improving your vocabulary, especially for young students and people learning English as a new language. They can also release stress by shutting down the voices in our brain and allowing us to enjoy the game. Some research suggests they can help people suffering from dementia and Alzheimer's because they exercise the brain.

Scrabble

Scrabble has similar health benefits as it releases stress, engages the mind, and teaches you new vocabulary. They help you develop your intellectual abilities, as you learn about different topics by learning new words. It's a game that encourages group play through which you can get to know new people. It also improves creativity and concentration. Mental health benefits like releasing stress can improve physical health, especially for elders.
If you find Scrabble challenging, and not wanting to play, consider using Word Unscramblers. While they can improve your vocabulary like we mentioned above, they can also help you get better at Scrabble. For example, you can search six letter Words that start with L and end with R. Over time, you’ll learn common words that are great to play and help you win and have fun at Scrabble. 

Word Search

Games, where you search for words, help with developing word recognition for kids. Besides, they help with developing pattern recognition and spelling, especially for new English speakers and children. More advanced players can play them, too, by raising the difficulty.
We think we gave you enough reasons to start Word Games Wednesday, or any day of the week. Who said engaging your brain has to be difficult and boring? It's like practicing math, except that word games are fun. Call your friends and gather up to have a delightful evening full of challenging, brain-teasing, and mind-squeezing. Getting better at these games will give you confidence and vigor, in addition to the personal development skills that you will gain. But most importantly, it's the perfect way to relax and be stress-free.

WRITTEN BY

Daria Brown