Social card games link good memory as we age

William Atkins
Tuesday, 26 May 2009 19:00

Science - Health

The USC researchers also found little evidence that diet or exercise affects the risk of dementia in people older than 90 years.

However, their research indicates that mental exercises, such as reading books and doing crossword puzzles, may delay the onset of dementia. They add that social contacts, such as interactions with friends and family, also may be important to maintaining a sharp memory.

Some of these elderly people at Laguna Woods, it was found, have no trace of dementia. And, these USC researchers want to know why!

Part of the answer may lie in contract bridge. The game requires a strong memory and a lot of social interaction.

So, the researchers study the game these people play to learn more about memory and the aging process.

Please read The New York Times article mentioned earlier. It provides much more information on the study, and gives insights to these people being studied at the Laguna Woods retirement home.

Within the article, Dr. Kawas says, "There is quite a bit of evidence now suggesting that the more people you have contact with, in your own home or outside, the better you do [mentally and physically], …Interacting with people regularly, even strangers, uses easily as much brain power as doing puzzles, and it wouldn't surprise me if this is what it's all about."

Kawas stated that contract bridge provides that social interaction and that mental stimulation.

The website of the American Contract Bridge League is found at: http://www.acbl.org/. Its website also contains an article about this USC study.