Live Long and Prosper: 5 Games to Make your Brain more Logical Improve Logic and Reasoning Everybody knows somebody who always says “I’m a logical person” or “I think rationally.” And many times we assume that being a logical thinker is just a personality trait – but the truth is, logical thinking can be trained and improved. Years ago, logic was taught in elementary school classrooms – logic, like math, follows a system of rules and laws that can be taught and applied theoretically and philosophically. But don’t be fooled: there’s a big difference between learning how logic works and having the ability to think logically. Improve logic and reasoning: Why is it important? Which is better: using logic to make decisions or using your “gut instinct” to make decisions? The characters Mr. Spock and Captain Kirk on Star Trek made this debate famous. It’s often thought that people who depend solely on reasoning and critical thinking tend to make fewer damaging judgment errors than those who always follow emotional impulses, and perhaps that’s true. But reality is, the ability to make a snap decision correctly, or under pressure, is also very valuable. The fact is that nobody can be Mr. Spock. Our emotions simply will affect our decisions – it’s just part of being human. But when logic and reasoning skills are strong, it helps provide a cognitive structure that balances out and tempers the emotions. This (combined with all the facts and truth we learn as we grow) creates in us the ability to make good judgments, even under the influence of emotion or peer pressure. Improve Logic and Reasoning: 5 Games that Every smart mom Ought to know about Clearly, logic and reasoning is a valuable cognitive skill. And one of the best ways to ensure that you, or your child, can safely navigate the rough waters of life is to find ways to improve logic and reasoning abilities. LearningRx brain training is one great way to do it – but in the meantime, take a look at these 5 games that are known to build logic and reasoning skills: 1. Apples to Apples Available from $18.49 for new & used games from Amazon.com, Apples to Apples is a fun and addictive game the whole family can play together. It builds Executive Processing, Inductive Reasoning, Logic and Reasoning, Planning and Problem Solving skills. 2. Bejeweled FREE Online Game (or you can spend $20 on a Nintendo game or CD-ROM). Bejeweled is so much fun that we recommend you do NOT start playing it at work. Consider yourself warned! Bejeweled will work the following cognitive skills: Logic and Reasoning, Processing Speed, Sensory Motor Integration, Sustained Attention and Visual Processing. 3. Blokus Available from $17.99 for new and used games from Amazon.com. Blokus has received rave reviews all over the internet for how fun and educational it is. It builds: Logic and Reasoning, Planning, Problem Solving, Sequential Processing and Visual Processing. 4. Qwirkle $18.57 will buy you the ever-popular game, Qwirkle, which is kind of like Scrabble, except with pictures and symbols instead of letters. Definitely mysterious and worth a look. Educational fun for the whole family. Qwirkle will help you out with Logic and Reasoning, Planning, Problem Solving, Sequential Processing and Visual Processing. 5. Rook Most often seen flying over the post-Thanksgiving dinner tables of the American Midwest, this old favorite can be yours for only $3.00 (look in new and used games) from Amazon.com. Gather your family for a game of Rook and work on Divided Attention, Logic and Reasoning, Planning, Problem Solving, Sequential Processing, Simultaneous Processing, Visual Processing and Working Memory.