The Impact of Puzzles on Short-Term Attention

Successfully solving Sudoku puzzles requires constant diverting of attention to certain puzzle elements. Previous research has shown that puzzles, including Sudoku, aid in cognitive functioning and the aging process (Lin et al., 2023). Social media use has become increasingly popular for younger generations. With this trend has come various mental health complications, including shorter attention spans (Sha & Dong, 2021). This study tested undergraduate college students and the impact puzzle solving (Sudoku, and mazes) had on attentional capabilities. Our study contributes to the literature by investigating if enhanced attention results from completing Sudoku puzzles for a short amount of time. Two experiments were conducted, with a within and between subjects design, respectively. This was used to compare the effects of puzzle solving on attention. Performance on a letter detection task was used to measure attention after completing either a puzzle task or watching a nature documentary. Based on the literature regarding Sudoku puzzles and cognitive functions, such as attention, we expected that Sudoku puzzles would enhance performance on the letter detection task as compared to the maze task and especially compared to the no puzzle condition. We hope this study provides insight on mitigating the negative effects from a growing trend of social media use.