Games — only kids allowed? — How board games can counter cognitive decline in adults

The readers of this article who are full time parents will understand this scenario: you come from work tired and stressed and you see your child still playing board games with his friends late in the evening. You start arguing endlessly, not knowing your kid has chosen the right path to spend his free time. What is more, these board games you are blaming need to be introduced as part of a healthy weekly routine, being of greater benefit for you and your partner particularly if they are played together with your kids or in a group of friends.

There are numerous studies that highlight the advantages of including this type of activity as early as possible into your programme, since it offers cognitive protection for later on in your life when the probability of an Alzheimer’s diagnosis rises considerably. A 20-year follow-up French population-based cohort study that involved about 4000 community dwellers aged 65 or more emphasizes some very important data: the ones who regularly play any type of board games (including bingo, card games or chess) reported a 15% lower risk of developing dementia than non-players. The study also infers that playing board games actually has a positive say on depression and cognition, which in turn have a favorable effect on the risk of dementia.

First of all, they enhance problem-solving and logical skills. Many modern traditional board games require users to apply tactics in their gameplay. For instance, when playing Ticket to Ride, participants need to study their train destinations carefully, choosing ones who could then be connected to others and so forth. They also have to plan ahead and create a clear strategy of building ‘the longest railway’ so that they have additional points than their respective opponents. On the other hand, escape room games involves players’ mental concentration, problem-solving and deduction abilities, as they are faced with the mounting pressure of solving enigma cards, mini puzzle or ‘read-between-the-lines’ games in a given amount of time (usually 60 minutes).

Second of all, they provide a form of stress relief, a very well-known factor in increasing the risk of cognitive decline or even aggravating the symptoms of dementia. To give you a hint, you might want to start hosting co-op board game nights more frequently from now on! Gathering with your friends, sharing your ideas with your teammates in terms of strategy and debating the optimal move, while laughing and discussing life sounds like a perfect Saturday night in! Besides the advantages of the social interaction you are experiencing, from a scientific point of view, playing board games in this way might also lead to the release of endorphins which relax the muscles and increase circulation in the body, resulting in a lowered blood pressure overall.

Now, here are the best board games you can play to stave off cognitive decline — and how they achieve this!

• Cluedo — It is a 3 to 6 player murder mystery game, with a long tradition attached to its name. The aim is to deduce who murdered the game’s victim, in what way (the weapon) and the whereabouts, each player assuming the role of one of the six suspects. It is the perfect choice for you if you are looking to enhance your reasoning, critical thinking and problem-solving competence.
• Dixit — It is a much newer game than Cluedo, involving cards with various fantastical images, 6 of them being dealt to each player. Then, the player who is the storyteller has to offer an ambiguous description of one of his cards, the rest of the players having to associate and pair the description with a card of their own. Each player takes turns in being the storyteller. Dixit is an amazing way to test our verbal communication knowledge, imagination and creativity, but also a temporary escape from the stress of our daily lives!
• Codenames — This is somewhat similar to Dixit, albeit it involves at least two teams of 2 members, one of each team being nominated as the spymaster. The spymaster provides a single-word clue and, on the basis of this, their teammates need to connect this clue with other word cards on the table, trying to avoid the ‘assassin’ or other ‘enemy agents’. Therefore, the game succeeds in questioning our verbal-linguistic intelligence and our matchmaking skills.
• Catan — Moving on to a much more complex game, Catan is a German 3 to 4-player game taking the roles of settlers in a fictional town called Catan. It consists in mastering and managing your infrastructure (roads, settlements) and development cards with the help of resources such as sheep, hay, clay or rocks. Because the game has many mechanisms for gaining Victory Points (when you reach 10, you win), you should build a really clever and tactical gameplay, all the while highlighting your negotiation abilities when trading resources!
• Carcassonne — It is a tile-based game that, in essence, requires the same skills as in Catan. You need to lay tiles to build cities, cathedrals, roads or monasteries, and also control them by placing a meeple (a citizen) on your territories. In this game, you can also block other players from finishing their constructions; however, you have to be careful when doing this and manage your time and tiles wisely, as it may delay the construction of your own spaces.

In conclusion, playing board games at any age seems to be a fruitful way to spend your time with your loved ones and, besides the social advantages it holds, scientifically speaking, if you are a regular player (a few times per month), you might benefit from prolonging your cognitive health without putting any major effort!

References

Elkin, R. (2022, July 11). What is the evidence linking stress to dementia? Psychiatry-UK. https://psychiatry-uk.com/what-is-the-evidence-linking-stress-to-dementia/#:~:text=When%20the%20body%20is%20under.

Dementia Board Games: What are the Benefits? (n.d.). CLH Healthcare. https://clhgroup.co.uk/learning-centre/wellbeing/dementia-board-games-what-are-the-benefits.

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