Yesterday whilst reading the NYT, a survey popped up, soliciting my opinion on the Times including brain exercises in their paper. I did not care for it nor was I willing to pay to use brain exercises. I may have stated previously that I enjoy my dementia. Every day is a new day and I never see repeat TV programs.
Anyway, coincidentally, this week's New Yorker, has an article by Patricia Marx, who did a survey of the brain exercise business. What with baby boomers worried about losing their minds the brain exercise industry is becoming a profitable enterprise. Ms. Marx took many tests and visited many brain exercise gurus, which I will not go into. But, suffice to say they were varied in quality and veracity and of course $$$$. [I was born before those people and believe me it was much nicer. More parking spaces, shorter lines, etc.]
Apparently there is fear out there among the boomers: "Am I, like so many of my gang, just one of the 'worried well'? (A 2011 survey found that baby boomers were more afraid of losing their memory than of death.) Should I get out a crossword? Learn to play bridge? Chew gum? Take a nap? Drink more coffee? Eat blueberries? Give up tofu?"
Back to the money part of this cerebral prevention enfeeblement business. Marx reports that Sharp Brains 2012 survey showed that more than a billion consumer dollars was spent on consultants and brain exercises. Sharp Brains also projects that by 2020, consumers will spend in excess of six billion dollars.
So let me just conclude with this, "To everyone who has solved today's crossword puzzle: Sorry, but that is no guarantee that you will end up less nutty than the rest of us."
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