How playing bingo could help keep the mind sharp

IT is a perfect excuse to dig out the Scrabble or sit down for an afternoon card game.

Playing games, from bingo to chess, may keep the brain sharp after retirement.

A study of almost 1,100 people in their seventies found that those who frequently played games had the greatest mental abilities and memory.

Going from playing them once a month to several times a week appeared to have a similar effect to an extra year of education. And it is never too late to start as people who increased their game-playing between the ages of 70 and 76 were able to think faster.

Experts say games such as crosswords may work as well as fashionable brain training, as they encourage people to use

‘Protect against cognitive decline’

their minds after they finish full-time work. Dr Drew Altschul, of the University of Edinburgh, an author of the study, said: ‘The results back up the “use it or lose it” idea that using your brain more prevents cognitive decline in older age.

‘There appears to be something about games that makes people think, such as how crosswords encourage people to draw a mental map and keep track of spaces.’

Researchers asked people how often they played traditional games such as cards, chess, bingo or crosswords.

They were asked at the age of 70 and again at 76. They then completed tests every three years between the ages of 70 to 79. Those who played more games aged 70 scored the highest in an intelligence test. This took into account their general cleverness, which was measured when they took the same test aged 11.

The study, published in Journals of Gerontology Series B: Psychological Sciences, says games are an ‘affordable activity that could protect against cognitive decline’.