Daily Mail columnist Tom Utley on Thursday described a longstanding morning routine built around the Times cryptic crossword and said he will continue it despite a report suggesting habitual puzzles may blunt cognitive stimulation.
Utley recounted that he begins most days in his pyjamas with instant coffee and a cigarette, tackling the cryptic crossword before reading the news. He wrote that completing the puzzle, which he said usually takes him 20 to 30 minutes, reassures him that "at least a part of my brain is still working," and noted an inherited affinity for crosswords from his grandfather, Dermot Morrah.
The column responded directly to reporting in the Daily Telegraph that quoted experts saying making a habit of easy daily puzzles could cause the brain to become "lazy" and reduce the formation of new neural connections. The Telegraph piece cited Dr. Cheryl Lythgoe, a nurse consultant at private provider Benenden Health, who said, "Our brains are similar to our bodies in that they need constant challenge and stimulation. Once the brain becomes efficient, then it gets lazy again and doesn’t form new neural connections."
Utley framed the debate within broader, sometimes contradictory, public-health coverage. He listed other everyday behaviours experts have at times warned against — from wearing slippers to not using sunscreen — and quoted Dr. Amit Arora, president-elect of the British Geriatrics Society, on the risks of unprotected ultraviolet exposure to skin health.
The columnist acknowledged his personal disregard for some medical advice, saying he has smoked and drunk heavily at times, yet has taken only four sick days in 50 years of work. He contrasted that with a figure he cited for contemporary workers: an average of 9.4 days off per year for physical or mental ill health.
Utley also drew on family anecdote to illustrate crossword prowess, recalling that his grandfather, a noted crossword solver, could reportedly recite answers from memory while on his deathbed. He used that episode to underline his assertion that crosswords are a skill people may sharpen with age because they learn to recognise compilers’ conventions.
The recent coverage is part of a longer-running scientific conversation about cognitive ageing and the role of mentally stimulating activities. Some researchers argue that varied and progressively challenging tasks are more likely to promote neuroplasticity than repeatedly performing the same, well-mastered activity. Others have found associations between routine mentally engaging hobbies, including crosswords, and preserved cognitive function in older adults, though causation remains contested.
Utley concluded that, for him, the ritual is as much about personal routine and sanity as about cognitive health. He said he plans to continue starting his day with the cryptic crossword and to disregard what he characterised as shifting expert advice.
The column appeared in the Daily Mail’s opinion pages and reiterated a broader public conversation about how best to maintain mental acuity with age, and how media coverage sometimes alternates between reassuring and alarming framings of everyday behaviours.