Board Games: Fun and Potentially Good for the MS Brain

As winter nights close in, friends and family gather to wait out the dark and cold. These are often the times we might think of breaking out an old favorite board game.

Well, now we have another reason beyond passing the time: Turns out, board games can be good for us! Games Improved Memory, Depression, and More

Frederico Emanuele Pozzi, MD , a neurology resident at Fondazione IRCCS San Gerardo dei Tintori in Monza, Italy, and a group of his colleagues recently presented evidence that playing board games has many potential benefits that are right in the destructive path of multiple sclerosis (MS) , namely, cognitive decline, social isolation, depression , and decline in fine motor skills.

Researchers looked at studies evaluating the effects of playing chess, mahjong, and go (a strategy game popular in Asia) for an hour, once or twice per week, for three to four months. Although the studies focused on elderly people, there is little to say that the same results wouldn’t be seen in people with conditions like MS, which can also have cognitive involvement .

For the people observed, there was a general improvement in working memory, executive functioning (skills that enable us to set goals and take steps toward reaching them), a temporary decrease in depressive symptoms, and an overall reported improved quality of life.

Seems like we’re on to something here.

The social connection of game playing was highlighted as well. Dr Pozzi observed that people who played in groups on a regular basis reported more benefits than those who played alone (say, on a tablet or a computer), but both groups did improve in cognitive functioning. As Kids, We Thought Games Were Just for Fun

Thinking back to my youth, nearly every house had a cupboard or a shelf full (and often overfilled) with various board games. For us, playing any one of these would fill a rainy afternoon with fun.

What we mayn’t have understood then is that playing a board game involves several parts of our brain and body.

Strategy and intermittent rewards come to mind. Do I buy a hotel on this property or that? Sending someone back six spaces if they threatened your position on the board. Acquiring additional game pieces from your opponent as you advanced across the board. These elements of game playing engage the prefrontal cortex, which, as described in the scientific literature , “intelligently regulates our thoughts, actions, and emotions through extensive connections with other brain regions.”

For board games that are timed, brain speed processing also gets a workout as we try to win or complete a task in the allotted time.

And let us never forget how good it feels to win at something, even a game of chess! How Do We Work More Games Into Our Adult Lives?

So rather than playing another round of solitaire on your tablet, why not break out an old favorite game you can play with others? Perhaps get a regular game night started with friends? Maybe an MS bridge or mahjong or dominos meet-up, rather than the typical self-help group meeting?

It won’t cost much more than a couple of hours’ time, and most of us probably have a game or two tucked away in our homes or know someone who does. What could it hurt to try?

Your move.

Wishing you and your family the best of health.

Cheers,

My new book, Living Well With Multiple Sclerosis , is available for preorder on Amazon . Follow me on the Life With MS Facebook page , and read more on Life With Multiple Sclerosis .

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