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Board Games Can Avoid Cognitive Decline

Nov. 30, 2019

A new study investigates the effects of non-digital games such as board games and Cards Game on cognitive ability in older people. Games are not only fun, they can make agile and sharp thinking. At least this seems to be the main result of many recent studies that point to the cognitive advantages of video games.


So what exactly is the research content? Board Game Manufacturer will tell you next.


For example, some researchers have suggested that playing games for just an hour can increase attention, and some studies have shown that games, especially shooting, can increase awareness. For older people, the benefits of computer games seem even greater. From brain training apps that can prevent mild cognitive impairment to 3D video games that can reverse age-related cognitive decline, playing games on a computer seems to offer many benefits.


But what about simulation games? Is it just computer games that are good for the brains of the elderly, or are non-numerical games like cards, board games, or crosswords also affecting cognition?

Board Game


Board Game 


Learning non-digital games and cognition


Researchers examined 1,091 participants who were born in 1936. They obtained their data from the 1936 cohort. The study evaluated participants' psychological and cognitive abilities over a long period of time. The researchers first assessed participants' cognitive function at the age of 11 and then assessed participants at ages 70, 73, 76, and 79 using 14 standardized cognitive tests.


As part of this new study, the scientists asked how often participants played board games, cards, chess, bingo or crossword puzzles at the age of 70 and 76. As part of their statistical analysis, the researchers considered possible confounding factors such as "early cognitive function, education, social class, gender, level of activity, and health issues".


The analysis found that people who played more games in their 70s were more likely to maintain healthy cognitive function at older ages.


Play games to reduce cognitive decline


Specifically, those who reported playing more simulation games in the 1970s experienced less relative cognitive decline from the age of 11 to 70, and less cognitive decline between the ages of 70 and 79. These latest findings add evidence that greater involvement in life may be related to better thinking in later life, which could explain the results as a nudge to start playing certain games to prevent cognitive decline.


For people in the 1970s and beyond, another message seems to be that playing non-digital games may be a positive behavior in terms of reducing cognitive decline. We and others are narrowing the scope of activities that may help keep people older. In our sample, it seems to be more than just general intellectual and social activities; in this group of games, this kind of thing has a small but detectable link to better cognitive aging.


The above are the benefits of the board game introduced by Cards Game Manufacturer. Hope to help everyone.

Shanghai Hopes Industry Co., Ltd.