October 15, 2019 —
By Frances Kolarek —
The headline over a page-long article on bridge in a recent AARP Bulletin reads: “Playing your cards right can help keep you sharp.”
Bridge does double duty. It not only exercises our brains, it also provides that necessary contact with others. It’s both a social event and a mental challenge. In the course of a couple of hands, players’ memories are tested, as well as their ability to manipulate numbers. Researchers have found that “the frequency of playing games is associated with greater brain-volume in several regions affected by Alzheimer’s disease,” and the more you play, the higher you score on tests for mental acuity. When it comes to brain exercise that’s pretty hard to beat.
Lest you be misled, we are warned that there is no evidence that games and such will prevent degenerative processes like Alzheimer’s disease; but you can hope for a delay in the onset of symptoms.
Collington boasts a good-sized contingent of players who get together regularly Thursday evenings to play couples bridge, as well as duplicate. One member is a Bronze Life Master! That means she has at least 500 master points recorded by the Contract Bridge League, which keeps track of such statistics.
Then there are the pickup games that just happen when a few friends get together for a hand or two. Of course it’s never just one hand. The game has its addictive overtones.
Researching for this blog I learned that there is a magazine, Bridge Bulletin, devoted to news of the game and its players and their standings. And that there are bridge cruises — lots of them. One Collingtonian has just returned from such a trip, full of praise. You can’t lose on a vacation that does you good, mentally and socially.
There are alternates to bridge that may be just as useful in helping us hang on to our wits. A group at Collington plays Mahjongg weekly, and I discovered that AARP provides fans with online Mahjongg games. Along with board games, this kind of enjoyable workout carries a bonus benefit. “Any activity from which you derive pleasure prevents the onset of classic depression,” a 90-year-old physician and a wizard bridge player, assures us.
So shut up and deal.
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