Bingo: Is This the New Brain Booster?
It is easy to see why bingo is such an enjoyable game. There's nothing like the excitement of waiting for that number that will complete your pattern, not to mention the high that comes with winning that bingo jackpot!
Most people may think of the game as synonymous to Number one retirement home pastime but there's more the game than that. Bingo is actually being lauded as one of those games that can actually improve the way your brain performs the more you play it.
Studies have shown that playing bingo significantly improves our brains' ability to concentrate, memorize, and react to certain situations. Studies done by the Southampton university Psychology Department have shown that bingo created a significant improvement in the memory, speed, and accuracy of people who played the game compared to those who did not. The study was composed of 112 participants who ranged in ages from 18 to 82. This group was divided in to two: those who played the game regularly, and those who did not. Results showed that those who played bingo on a regular basis performed better in speed and accuracy trials than those who did not. The older players did better when it came to accuracy while the younger ones showed more speed when it came to performing certain tasks.
Julie Winston, one of the researchers, stated that their study was only a small part of a growing body of research that aimed to look at how engaging in mind-stimulating activities like bingo can improve brain activity. She concluded that more research is needed to see just how the mind works when it is used to play games like bingo, and how this activity can help improve the mind's performance.
Engaging in activities like playing bingo is especially useful for older people. People who are at or past the prime of their lives are more prone to memory loss, slower reaction speeds, and over-all decline in mental performance as a result of aging and deteriorating neurons. A good way to prevent this from happening is to exercise the brain regularly, and playing bingo is one of the ways to do that. The good thing about this is that you can have fun while you exercise your brain.
Finally, playing bingo is not only good for your brain, it may be good for heart too. Focusing on the game can keep your mind off the things that are stressing you out. Bingo is also a great way to keep in touch with old friends and meet new ones. Keeping a healthy social life is useful in keeping loneliness and depression at bay.