Something a lot of people might not know is that January is known as International Brainteaser Month. This is a month during which everyone is encouraged to give their mind a workout and keep their brain sharp by engaging in some fun and challenging brainteasers. What’s a brainteaser?

It’s a puzzle or problem that is challenging to solve and is solved for a person’s entertainment. They can be math problems, riddles, or a variety of other puzzles. In our opinion, anything that isn’t easy to solve and requires a person to use their brain is a brainteaser and is perfect for this holiday month.

The History of International Brainteaser Month

Humans have created and enjoyed solving brainteasers since well before the invention of written language. As a species, we’re built to work with our hands and our brains, and brainteasers were the perfect way for people to entertain themselves.

Over thousands of years, there have been all kinds of different brainteasers that included riddles, puzzles, math problems, and just about anything else that challenges a person’s brain. In our opinion, the biggest brainteaser we’ve had to work out recently was the origin of International Brainteaser Month.

We’ve looked at this holiday from all directions and have tried to do extensive research to find out where it came from, but the answer always seems to elude us. We’ll continue to search for the origins of this holiday, of course, but at this time it doesn’t seem like we’re going to find the answers we’re looking for.

Some Quick Facts About Brainteasers

Below are some quick facts about brainteasers that we feel everyone should know about. Let’s take a look at the following short, to-the-point facts before we move on to how International Brainteaser Month is actually celebrated.

• Brain teaser riddles help improve cognitive function.
• If the brain isn’t presented with challenging, unique problems, then neuroreceptors can die off.
• A brain teaser is a verbal or written problem to solve, such as a riddle.
• A brain puzzle is a game that requires logic to solve, such as Sudoku or a crossword puzzle.

Observing International Brainteaser Month

Obviously, a person would observe this month by solving various riddles, but sometimes just figuring out what riddles and puzzles they should solve during International Brainteaser Month is a riddle in itself. What riddles or puzzles should a person choose during this month?

Well, it all depends on what interests a person. Some people don’t like math, so they would probably want to go with more of a word game instead. It doesn’t matter what a person chooses to solve; all that matters is that the things they do challenge their brain.

And people can spread their own riddles across social media using the hashtag #InternationalBrainteaserMonth. Let’s hear your favorite word games, puzzles, and math problems.