Relationship between Cubing and Smartness

What is the Rubik’s Cube?

The Rubik’s cube is a three-dimensional puzzle that was invented by Erno Rubik in 1974. Ever since its invention, thousands of people have solved the Rubik’s cube in record times, but millions of people around the world still struggle to crack this puzzle and term it unsolvable. 

So what is it about this puzzle that seems so hard to solve for some people and a piece of cake for others? Does cubing make a person smarter? Does a person already have to be smart to solve a Rubik’s cube? We’ll find all the answers in this blog.

What do you require to be able to solve a Rubik’s Cube?

In order to learn the Rubik’s cube, you need a Rubik’s cube and a good tutorial that suits you. That is it. You don’t have to be brilliant at mathematics or studies in general. The beginner's method has just a handful of algorithms that can be learnt within an hour. The advanced methods do contain more algorithms but they too can be learnt by any human being regardless of academic achievements! Cracking the Rubik’s cube is just like a magic trick, it seems so complicated when you see it but when you learn how to do it yourself, it doesn’t seem too overwhelming and just like magic, the Rubik’s cube also doesn’t have any threshold of smartness that you absolutely require to solve it. The Rubik’s cube just requires a level of determination to solve it, an attitude of not giving up until you learn how to solve it because you can!

Does Cubing make you Smarter?

There are many benefits of learning to solve a Rubik’s cube. At the start of the learning process, the Rubik’s cube builds a longer attention span. You need to memorize algorithms and implement them on the cube so that acts as training for concentrating on a single task and improves your attention span. Also, when you start figuring out how the cube works and start playing around with it, your problem-solving skills also increase as you make new algorithms by yourself and study how the pieces move with each turn of a face. 

Learning new algorithms and figuring out ways to memorize them also increases your long-term and short-term memory. IQ boost isn’t a direct result of the Rubik’s cube, but solving different kinds of puzzles and learning their solutions does increase your IQ, and the Rubik’s cube is a nice challenge to go for if you want a puzzle!

Other Benefits of solving the Rubik’s Cube

Apart from the purely mental benefits, there are also some physical benefits of solving the Rubik’s cube when you start getting faster at it. The Rubik’s cube improves hand-eye coordination because you need to look at the moving colors and figure out the next move accordingly. This strengthens the connection between your vision, brain, and your hands. 

The Rubik’s cube also boosts reaction time, or reflexes. This is because you need to recognize patterns in different cases and implement their algorithms with little to no break between the recognition and implementation. These benefits only apply when you focus on solving the Rubik’s cube as fast as you can and don’t just leave it after learning how to solve it. Learning how to solve the cube faster includes learning finger tricks, which improves the movement of your fingers and also boosts the skills that require finger dexterity, like typing and playing the piano.

Explore 3x3 Magic Cubes Collection 

Conclusion

To conclude, the Rubik’s cube is a very helpful tool and is totally worth having a try at solving. It has only benefits and benefits, with no drawbacks. Also, in today’s age, the Rubik’s cube is an amazing tool for parents to engage their children and move their focus away from mobile phones, which are mostly used for playing games and have little to no positive impact on young minds. So, if you’re contemplating handing your child a Rubik’s cube, I can guarantee that you don’t need to think twice!

Also, with aging, comes various cognitive-related defects. Solving a puzzle every day, like the Rubik’s cube, also prevents these defects to some extent because of all the positive mental building effects that it has on our minds.

About Author

Sarthak Masta

Sarthak Masta is a speedcuber from Raipur. He started cubing in 2013 and now has 9 years of cubing experience. Apart from cubing, Sarthak enjoys making music and singing. He has attended a total of 7 competitions in Raipur and has gotten 10 podiums, with 2 gold medals, 4 silver medals and 4 bronze medals.