We
all know it’s possible to improve our body’s fitness with regular exercise, but
did you know it’s also possible to improve your intellect and memory with
exercises for your brain?
New
studies suggest that despite our advances in technology, our intellects have
declined by an average of 14 I.Q. points since the Victorian era, so it is more
important than ever for us to start giving our brains a work out so that we
keep them operating at their best. If that wasn’t incentive enough, studies also
show that up a hobby that gives the brain a workout such as mental sports like
poker can also increase your
lifespan
and help you stay sharp as you get older. So, how can you get started?
Believe
it or not, improving your cognitive function is a lot more fun than it sounds. Research
indicates that playing strategy based games improves the agility of the brain
as well as increasing speed and accuracy. It was this kind of research that led
to the Spanish government unanimously voting for a resolution that made chess a
compulsory subject in schools in 2015. Their belief was that learning the
logical decision-making processes behind winning chess would benefit children
in other subject areas such as arithmetic.
Similar
studies have shown that playing games with an element of excitement, such as
rummy or low-stakes poker, can stimulate the brain by sharpening critical
thinking and enhancing arithmetic skills. There is a scientific reason for
this. Playing a regular game of
pokerhelps
your brain to create new neural pathways which, in turn, require extra brain
cells to transform from performing one function to another, thereby improving
the brain’s neuroplasticity. Developing the focus and concentration required
for poker also means players can drastically improve their decision-making
abilities at the table or online, emotional intelligence, and intuition as well
as being able to cope with failures.
Complex
strategy-based video games are also proven to increase the agility of the brain
as they require the brain to plan, strategize, and manage limited resources and
logistics while remaining flexible and able to change tactics in response to
unexpected events. The brain is required to make a fast analysis and quick
decisions, sometimes with missing information. This leads to a great improvement
in cognitive skills such as memory and reasoning. The participants of one study
even demonstrated dramatic improvements in psychological tests after playing 40
hours of strategic video games over six to eight weeks. There has also been
research that suggests that regularly playing video games can also improve the strategic
thinking and reading skills of children suffering from dyslexia.
For
those who prefer their gaming to be based in reality, strategy-based board
gamesare a great way to challenge yourself and your friends while having a
whole load of fun. There are plenty of board games that provide players with a
series of interesting and consequential decisions, encouraging you to think a
few moves ahead while outwitting your opponents, much like playing a
high-stakes poker hand on the felt. Regular players of strategy-based board
games experience a vast improvement in their decision-making skills as their
choices have a high significance in determining the overall outcome. Thus, it
is essential for players to make an analysis on a probabilistic estimation
against the background of a real or fictional scenario.
So,
what are you waiting for? Hit the brain gym by including a poker game into your
weekly schedule. Who knows, you may end up being a member of Mensa!
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