If completing the Telegraph crossword is a daily tradition then it may be gratifying to learn that your brain is 10 years younger than your actual age.

Researchers at the University of Exeter and King’s College London carried online testing on more than 17,000 healthy people aged 50 to gauge their memory, attention and reasoning.

They found that the more regularly participants engaged with word puzzles, the better they performed on tasks assessing attention, reasoning and memory.

From their results, researchers calculate that people who engage in daily word puzzles have brain function equivalent to 10 years younger than their age, on tests of grammatical reasoning speed and short-term memory accuracy.

The researchers say that it it was proved causal, a daily crossword could help prevent mental decline in later life.