It’s a well-known fact that playing Solitaire makes you smarter, but did you know that it can also improve your life in general?
Here are 13 ways playing Solitaire makes you smarter (and better at math):
- Helps you focus
- Improves your memory
- Enables you to understand probability
- Allows you to develop planning and strategy skills
- Makes you better at mental arithmetic
- Helps you recognize patterns
- Expands your problem-solving skills
- Teaches you how to manage resources
- Teaches you how to handle pressure
- Helps relieve stress and improve your mood
- Improves your sleeping habits
- Helps to improve your self-esteem
- Helps lower your risk of Alzheimer’s
The rest of this article will explore these points in more detail. You’ll see why Solitaire is such a great game for developing critical thinking skills and how it can help you in your studies and real life. But solitaire is not just great for your brain, it is actually very fun to play and sometimes even addictive!
1. Helps You Focus
If you want to get better at anything, you need to be able to focus; as it turns out, Solitaire is a great game for developing concentration skills.
When playing Solitaire, you have to pay attention to what cards are available and plan your moves accordingly. This requires focus and concentration, two skills that are essential for success in any area of life.
I learned this the hard way when trying to improve my grades in college. I would get so easily distracted, and it would take me forever to finish my assignments; but when I started playing Solitaire, I found that I could focus on important things for longer periods.
Not only that, but the concentration skills I developed from playing Solitaire helped me in other areas of my life. I could focus better on my hobbies, which led to a few passive income streams.
2. Improves Your Memory
Another great benefit of playing Solitaire is that it can help improve your memory. The game requires you to remember where certain cards are and what moves you can make with them.
Let’s say you’re playing a game of Klondike Solitaire, and you see an Ace of Spades in the middle of the table. You know that you can move this card to the foundation, but you also know that other cards can be played on top of it.
To make the best move, you need to remember where all of the cards are and what their order is. This is a great way to exercise your memory and keep it sharp.
A sharp memory is not only helpful in Solitaire but life as well. You’ll remember people’s names better, where you put your keys, and a whole host of other useful things.
3. Helps You Understand Probability
Probability is a branch of mathematics that deals with the likelihood of something happening. Understanding probability is an essential skill to have, not just in math class but also in real life.
For example, let’s say you’re trying to decide whether or not to buy a lottery ticket. To make the best decision, you need to understand the probabilities involved.
What are the odds of you winning and losing? These are the kinds of questions you need to answer to make a rational decision, and playing Solitaire can help you develop these skills.
In Solitaire, you’re constantly making decisions based on probabilities. For example, when choosing which cards to move, you always consider the likelihood of certain things happening.
Will moving this card help me or hurt me? What are the odds of me getting the card I need?
These are the kinds of questions you need to answer to make the best move. By playing Solitaire, you’re constantly practicing these skills.
4. Helps You Develop Planning and Strategy Skills
Another great benefit of playing Solitaire is that it can help you develop planning and strategy skills. That’s because the game requires you to think ahead and plan your moves.
For example, let’s say you’re playing a game of FreeCell, and you see an Ace of Spades in the middle of the table. You know that you can move this card to the foundation, but you also know that other cards can be played on top of it.
Here are more strategies for winning Solitaire:
| When Starting | In the Middle | Towards the End |
| Play aces and twos right away | Don’t empty a spot without a king, | Create stocks of similar suits |
| Move cards with the most hidden cards | Don’t move cards for no reason | Create suit piles on an open board |
| Keep color in mind | Evenly distribute tableau piles | Don’t be afraid to switch strategies |
To make the best move, you need to plan and decide your goal. Do you want to clear the table as quickly as possible? Or do you want to make sure that you don’t lose any points?
Once you’ve decided on your goal, you need to plan your moves accordingly. Practicing these strategic planning skills will help you in other areas of life, from choosing a spouse and selecting the best stock to invest in.
Want to increase your winrate at Solitaire? Then read my article on strategy tips to win more often at Solitaire.
5. Makes You Better at Mental Arithmetic
Mental arithmetic is the process of performing mathematical calculations in your head. This is a skill that you use daily, whether you’re aware of it or not.
For example, let’s say you’re at the grocery store and see a soup can on sale for $1.75. You know that you have $5 in your wallet, so you need to calculate how many cans of soup you can buy.
This may seem like a simple task, but it requires you to do some mental arithmetic. To calculate the answer, you need to be able to divide these numbers in your head.
Solitaire is a great way to develop these skills. This is because the game requires you to calculate the best move constantly.
6. Helps You Recognize Patterns
Solitaire is a great way to develop pattern recognition skills. This is because the game requires you to look for patterns constantly.
For example, let’s say you’re playing a game of Pyramid, and you see a pair of cards that add up to 13. You know that you can remove these cards, but you also know that other cards can be played on top of them.
If you remove the pair of cards, you’ll be able to make another move, but if you don’t remove them, you’ll be blocking yourself from making any further moves.
By facing this challenge enough times, you train your brain to recognize patterns by constantly looking out for them. This skill can be transferred to other areas of your life, such as work or school.
I have seen people who are very good at spotting patterns in their Solitaire games, and they tend to be very successful in other areas of their lives as well. This is especially true for people in the marketing or sales field.
To be a successful marketer, you need to be able to see patterns in customer behavior. If you can spot a pattern, you can create a marketing campaign that targets that group of people.
The same goes for sales. If you can see patterns in the way people buy things, you can sell them more effectively.
7. Develops Your Problem Solving Skills
Solitaire is a great way to develop problem solving skills. This is because the game often requires you to find creative solutions to complex problems.
For example, if you are stuck with many low cards and have no way to get rid of them, you must find a creative solution. This can often be difficult, but it is a great way to develop your problem solving skills.
This skill is beneficial to programmers and engineers because they face complex problems every day and must find creative solutions to them. If you are used to thinking in the same way, you might have problems finding a suitable solution for these issues.
You also need to be good at problem solving if you want to succeed in business. After all, businesses are constantly faced with difficult problems that must be solved to be successful.
8. Teaches You How To Manage Your Resources
Solitaire also teaches you how to manage your resources. This is because the game is often about figuring out how to make the best use of the cards you have been dealt.
This skill can be translated into knowing how to manage your time, money, and energy to achieve your goals in real life.
Let’s say you only have a limited amount of time to complete a project. In this case, you would need to figure out how to use your time wisely to get the job done on time and still meet the brief.
The same goes for money. If you only have a certain amount of money to spend on a project, you must be mindful of every purchase to stay within your budget. The last thing you want is to overspend on one thing and have to skimp on another.
I have benefited from these skills in my personal and professional life. I am better at time management, and I am more mindful of how I spend my hard-earned money.
9. Teaches You How To Handle Pressure
Solitaire can teach you how to handle pressure. The game is often timed, so you need to work quickly and efficiently to win.
Usually, the time pressure is not as intense as in a real-life situation, but it is still enough to help you learn how to handle stress and stay calm under pressure.
There are many real-life situations where you need to work quickly and efficiently under pressure. For example, you may need to meet a deadline at work or finish an important project on time. This pressure can be intense, and it is important to learn how to handle it.
You’ll also need to plan your time wisely and think ahead to win at solitaire. This is a valuable skill that you can use in many areas of your life.
10. Helps Relieve Stress and Improve Your Mood
Solitaire can also help relieve stress and improve your mood. You can think of it as a great way to take a break from the difficulties of everyday life and relax.
Solitaire can also be a fun and challenging way to spend your free time. The game can help you feel more engaged and motivated, especially if you add time limits.
Feeling stressed or down, try playing solitaire. The game may just be the distraction you need to improve your mood and feel better. However, you might want to combine Solitaire with exercise for best results.
11. Improves Your Sleeping Habits
Solitaire can also help improve your sleeping habits. People who have trouble sleeping will often stay up late playing video games or watching television.
This can cause them to become wired and make it even harder to fall asleep. However, playing solitaire before bed can help relax your mind and prepare you for sleep.
Solitaire is a low-stimulation activity that can help quiet your mind before bedtime. So, if you’re having trouble sleeping, try playing a game of solitaire before hitting the hay. You may be surprised!
12. Helps To Improve Your Self-Esteem
Solitaire can help improve your self-esteem because it is a great way to challenge yourself and see how far you can go.
Every time you win a solitaire game, you’re proving to yourself that you’re capable of achieving something challenging. This can help build your confidence and make you feel good about yourself.
I’m sure you remember those times when you’ve achieved something great, whether it’s winning a game of solitaire or passing a bar exam. These accomplishments can help boost your self-esteem and make you feel accomplished.
13. Helps Lower Your Risk of Alzheimer’s and Dementia
There’s some evidence that playing games like solitaire can help lower your risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. This is especially important for older adults who are at a higher risk for these conditions.
You’re keeping your mind active and engaged when you play solitaire, and this can help to strengthen the connections between your brain cells. This is important because Alzheimer’s and dementia are diseases that cause brain cell deterioration.
So, by playing solitaire, you may be helping to keep your brain healthy and preventing the onset of these degenerative diseases.
