I'm skeptical of stuff like this.

People often argue that the brain is like a muscle: the more you use it, the stronger it gets. But it's not that simple.

Obviously a person who can lift a 100-pound barbell can also lift a 100-pound box of books, but a person who can play the piano can't necessarily play the violin, although one is arguably just as difficult as the other. A person who can solve a crossword puzzle can't necessarily solve a calculus problem. And so on.

If you do a lot of crossword puzzles, you become good at doing crossword puzzles. But does it make you good at anything else? Does it help you remember where you left your keys?

Common sense says, do the thing you want to be good at. If you want to be good at playing video games, play video games. If you want to be good at playing the violin, practice playing the violin. Practicing the piano might help a little bit, but it won't help you as much as practicing on the violin. (And having a good teacher.)

I could be wrong of course. But if someone wants to argue differently, I'd want to see the research to back it up.