Several Kinds of Mind Puzzles
Mind riddles and puzzles can be simple math or number problems,
like the following.
1. Find the next number in the series: 1...2...5...14...41...122...?
You'll find the answer further down.
They can also be lateral thinking puzzles, like the following:
2. Agatha spent several days in the hospital. She wasn't injured,
and she wasn't sick, but she did have to be carried out when
she left though. Why was she in the hospital? That answer is
below as well.
Simple riddles qualify too. For example:
3. How did John get his name in light at every theater in
the country? (Answer below.)
Other examples of mind puzzles include crossword puzzles,
sudoku, and "word-finders." You don't have to stick
to the classics, though. Here are a couple new ideas for mind
puzzles that will really exercise that brain and your creativity
too.
Puzzle: "Something, such as a toy or game, that
tests one ingenuity."
Creative Puzzles
Create New Jokes
Writing a new joke is difficult, and can be both systematic
and creative. This makes it a great mind puzzle. Just
start with a word or a subject, and find a new way to make a
joke about it. I'll start with "chair." (I really am
doing this as I write, so forgive the weak humor that is sure
to result.)
The systematic part is to think of all the types of chairs,
even writing them down, and then write down a few types of jokes,
like "puns," "mis-direction," "differences,"
and "similarities." As I am writing this, it occurs
to me that an electric chair might have the most potential for
humor (all serious things do). Here is what I could come up with
in thirteen minutes:
Misdirection: Why didn't Charlie like the chair they
gave him for his birthday? Because they gave him the electric
chair!
Similarities: What does a chair have in common with
my dog? Four legs and an IQ of zero.
Differences: What's the difference between a chair
and a toilet? If you don't know, I can't invite you over to my
house!
Pun: Why did one of the customers at the motor vehicles
department start rearranging seats after waiting for hours? Because
he was the "chair-man of the bored."
Imagine New Inventions
For a great mind puzzle, just pick any object and either redesign
it in your mind, or use it as the basis for an entirely new invention.
If the object is a chair, for example, think of a new type of
chair. It might be an easy chair with speakers and a CD player
built into it, or a giant helium-filled chair that you could
float around the backyard in. If the puzzle is to come up with
a new invention based on a daisy, you might dream up some sort
of realistic electronic flowers that open when light hits them,
and release a scent.
............................................
Answer to 1st: 365. (Triple the number and subtract one to
arrive at the next number.)
Answer to 2nd: She was a newborn baby.
Answer to 3rd: He changed his name to "Exit."
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