Benefits of mental gymnastics

The game has a similar allure for an estimated 25 million players in the U.S., including such fanatics as Warren Buffett and Bill Gates. The majority of them are over 50. Researchers have discovered that mentally challenging games such as bridge are well suited for older people because the games offer intellectual and social stimulation on a routine basis. Bridge’s intricacies make it particularly appealing for those who want to sharpen acuity with mental gymnastics. A study in 2000 at the University of California, Berkeley, found strong evidence that an area in the brain used in playing bridge stimulates the immune system. Researchers suggest that is because players must use memory, visualization and sequencing. “When I first started playing in my late teens, I could not remember the cards played,” said Burt Saxon, 67, a retired teacher from Milford, Conn. “By my 50s, I pretty much recalled every card. Now that I am older, I have to work at it. I believe bridge helps prevent my short-term memory from completely declining.” Keith A. Josephs, a neurologist at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., said, “It is soft data that says, ‘Boy, perhaps playing these games and being socially active result in better performance.’ Patients are less likely to be depressed; hence they sleep better, tend to exercise more and have a better life in general. They do better from a cognitive standpoint.” Josephs stressed there is scant medical evidence that “playing any of these games is going to prevent a degenerative process or the onset of Alzheimer’s. Rather, it might delay the onset of symptoms so that the individual can function at a higher level,” he said. Heather Snyder, director of medical and scientific operations at the Alzheimer’s Association, said one thing that is lacking in Alzheimer’s disease research “is the recipe of what is going to reduce someone’s risk or delay the onset.” Last year, the Alzheimer’s Association shared the results of a large-scale clinical trial in Finland that demonstrated the benefits of combining cognitive training and social activity — two of bridge’s chief benefits — with other lifestyle elements: that multiple changes in lifestyle can improve memory and thinking in those at risk for cognitive decline. Explore Staying Sharp – A new lifestyle approach to Brain Heath

A 2014 study by the University of Wisconsin-Madison found that playing card and board games can help older people retain their mental sharpness. Researchers discovered that the frequency of playing games is associated with greater brain volume in several regions that are affected by Alzheimer’s disease. Those who played more frequently also scored higher on cognitive tests.

Staying socially engaged:

In Melander’s case, playing bridge into his golden years appears to have benefited his overall well-being. Through bridge, he keeps socially engaged and cognitively challenged. Of course, he did not have to be concerned about such things when he was a teenager, a time when bridge trumped most leisure activities in America. “In the ’30s, everybody played — badly, but they played,” Melander said with a laugh. “Bridge was front-page news. During the Depression, no one had anything to do but play bridge.” A chief reason is the game’s rich social component. For decades, friends and family frequently gathered over cocktails, dinner and a spirited game of bridge, which was derived from the 17th-century English card game of whist. Contract bridge, played by four people and developed during the 1920s, requires players to bid how many cards or “tricks” they believe they can take on a deal. Duplicate bridge is the most popular and competitive variation of the game. It reduces the element of luck because identical deals are replayed by multiple sets of players, who compare scores.