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Different coloured boxes on social media feeds mean that your friends have been sucked into the world of online word games such as Wordle, and these are becoming increasingly popular. Games like this can stop us spiralling into negative thoughts and help stimulate our brains but what is going on mentally when we play?

Catherine Loveday, Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience at the University of Westminster, explains just how much work the brain does to help solve the puzzle. She says that some people play in a strategic and systematic manner, using 'convergent' thinking, others 'divergent thinking' - which means coming up with as many different possibilities as you can. She notes that these games draw us in as they trigger our reward systems when we get 'little payouts' as we get letters or words correct. As we play more, she thinks, we may well develop 'better, newer strategies and build up our word fluency'.

Photo: Woman playing on mobile phone Credit: Getty Images