Playing is not a waste of time. Playing is good for the mood, it relaxes, drives away obsessive thoughts, recharges us and from today we know that some games can also protect the brain and improve memory and concentration, at all ages and even in the elderly, guaranteeing them the brain capacity and functionality that can be found in a twenty-year-old! This emerges from a very recent research that appeared in the journal Heliyon by a team from the United Kingdom of the University of York (Cutting et al, Heliyon, August 2023). But let’s see what games it is.
Each age has its own gameScientists started from the consideration that the brain changes with age, modifying the way information is retained. Could it therefore be that different games have a different impact on the brain based on the age of the person? This is the question that the researchers asked themselves and on the basis of which they developed their study.Here are the games that rejuvenate the brain and improve memory and concentration, at all agesScientists recruited 482 volunteers, all adults between 18 and 81 years old. Study participants were asked to fill out questionnaires indicating whether they used to play digital video games and if so, to report the type of game and the hours spent playing. Then, all the volunteers underwent tests to evaluate working memory, which is a type of memory that temporarily stores useful information for different functions, such as reasoning, making decisions, calculating change at the supermarket. This type of memory tends to decline with age. In addition, the tests were conducted with the introduction of distractions to assess the ability of people to focus and concentrate on the test. Well, the result is really interesting because it clearly shows that different games also have different effects based on the person’s age and this paves the way for targeted treatments to strengthen memory and cognitive ability. Strategy video games, which require planning and problem-solving skills, have been shown to boost memory and concentration in younger children, who have better working memory and a greater ability to focus while ignoring distractions than non-gamers. However, these same games did not show the same effect in older people. In these people, digital games, played for example via computer or smartphone app, aimed at solving puzzles have proven to be more useful for improving memory and concentration. In fact, older people who enjoyed playing puzzles had the same level of memory and attention as young 20-year-olds who had never played such games. The number of hours spent playing has not been shown to impact results.
ConclusionsEach age has its own type of game in order to protect the brain, improve memory and concentration. Strategy games for young people, and the more difficult these are the better, and puzzles for older people who, if used to engaging in this type of activity, can present a brain significantly younger than their chronological age, on a par with twenty-year-olds!
How some games can rejuvenate the brain and improve memory and concentration
ByAllNigeria
Sep 2, 2023