This type of riddle relies on a well-known trick: it exploits our automatic thought processes. As soon as we read “1975,” our brain automatically connects the number with the year. This is normal: we spontaneously associate this type of number with the date. And that’s where we get stuck!
Because there’s nothing actually pointing to the year “1975.” It’s just an interpretation… and everything hinges on it.
So what’s the solution?
The woman was indeed born and died in 1975… but not in 1975. She was born in room number 1975 in a hospital (or other facility). And she died in that same room in 1975, at the age of 22.
Yes, it’s simple and brilliant.
The puzzle, then, rests solely on the ambiguity of a single number. And it perfectly illustrates our tendency to “interpret everything” linearly, according to our established thought patterns. A beautiful example of what we call lateral thinking!
