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Although I am not one of "math" people, I think that the pervasive opinion that "what I don't need in everyday situations and work I do not need" is a BIG mista

Although I am not one of "math" people, I think that the pervasive opinion that "what I don't need in everyday situations and work I do not need" is a BIG mistake. Instead elaborating, I'll just make an analogy: We do not need to run, or to lift weights, nor exercise at all. We have transportation and tools. But, those activities are still highly valuable, even though we do not use them for work nor need them in everyday situations, because our body evolved to need them. So, math puzzles may not be directly useful, but they prepare the brain for other utilitarian activities. Ok, maybe we do not need puzzles, but math tasks in general is one of the best if not THE best exercise for abstract logical thinking.

kqr 11y ago
Though exercising is not valuable because we need it, it's valuable because it keeps you healthy. I'm not sure how much evidence there is that maths keep you healthy. Sure, if you enjoy it, but if you hate it? At least exercise keeps you healthy even if you hate it.
- dhimes 11y ago
  It is still good to have basic math numeracy, because swindlers are sadly not a dying breed. It's useful to listen to propaganda and have a feel for whether what the person is saying can even possibly be true. For example, if somebody says 40 million people in the US are [afflicted with|believe|whatever] something, I automatically think "that's about 1 in ten" and my bullshit filter makes a judgement. So getting precise numbers is perhaps not so important (maybe it never really was), but being able to estimate quickly it good. And, FWIW, you'd be surprised how well you can do at the grocery store if you estimate your bill simply by rounding every item to the nearest dollar. Easy to track, comes out remarkably close.
- inanutshellus 11y ago
  You must not have retired grandparents... here's an old paper excerpt[1] about the "use-it-or-lose-it" nature of your brain: > The protective effects of an active cognitive lifestyle arise through multiple biological pathways, new research suggests. For some time researchers have been aware of a link between what we do with our brains and the long term risk for dementia. In general, those who are more mentally active or maintain an active cognitive lifestyle throughout their lives are at lower risk. New research throws some light on what may be happening at the biological level. [1]: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120425094358.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120425094358.ht...
  - Joof 11y ago
    That doesn't necessarily mean mental math is something that will offset that. There isn't much variation in mental math tricks.
ramblerman 11y ago
> but math tasks in general is one of the best if not THE best exercise for abstract logical thinking. I think you are conflating 'Math' and 'mental arithmetic'. While the 2nd may help towards the first, it is neither a requirement nor an abstract thinking task on its own.

kqr 11y ago

Though exercising is not valuable because we need it, it's valuable because it keeps you healthy. I'm not sure how much evidence there is that maths keep you healthy. Sure, if you enjoy it, but if you hate it? At least exercise keeps you healthy even if you hate it.

dhimes 11y ago
It is still good to have basic math numeracy, because swindlers are sadly not a dying breed. It's useful to listen to propaganda and have a feel for whether what the person is saying can even possibly be true. For example, if somebody says 40 million people in the US are [afflicted with|believe|whatever] something, I automatically think "that's about 1 in ten" and my bullshit filter makes a judgement. So getting precise numbers is perhaps not so important (maybe it never really was), but being able to estimate quickly it good. And, FWIW, you'd be surprised how well you can do at the grocery store if you estimate your bill simply by rounding every item to the nearest dollar. Easy to track, comes out remarkably close.
inanutshellus 11y ago
You must not have retired grandparents... here's an old paper excerpt[1] about the "use-it-or-lose-it" nature of your brain: > The protective effects of an active cognitive lifestyle arise through multiple biological pathways, new research suggests. For some time researchers have been aware of a link between what we do with our brains and the long term risk for dementia. In general, those who are more mentally active or maintain an active cognitive lifestyle throughout their lives are at lower risk. New research throws some light on what may be happening at the biological level. [1]: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120425094358.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120425094358.ht...
- Joof 11y ago
  That doesn't necessarily mean mental math is something that will offset that. There isn't much variation in mental math tricks.

ramblerman 11y ago

> but math tasks in general is one of the best if not THE best exercise for abstract logical thinking. I think you are conflating 'Math' and 'mental arithmetic'. While the 2nd may help towards the first, it is neither a requirement nor an abstract thinking task on its own.