We all know board games are fun but they offer a lot more than entertainment. Read on to find out how board games are more than child’s play.
Boosts your immunity
“Laughter is well recognised as being the best medicine,” says psychotherapist Annie Gurton, and this is especially true when you throw board games into the mix. When playing games that make us laugh, our bodies release endorphins – feel-good hormones that can help to lower and maintain healthy blood pressure. High blood pressure is often associated with an increased risk of heart disease and stroke, so playing board games can be a fun way to reduce your overall risk. Likewise, endorphins are also said to play a role in supporting a healthy immune system, and may even be effective at fighting off diseases, including some cancers, studies show.
Try: Snakes & Ladders, Family Feud or Cluedo.
Improves your memory
Board games help your brain retain information and can improve cognitive skills. Studies show that the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex – the main brain structures we use for learning and memory – especially benefit. Their decline is often associated with dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.
“The best way to ward off all forms of dementia is by continuously learning. As long as you’re learning something new, your neurons – the brain cells that carry messages – will keep firing,” Annie explains.
Try: Chess, Battleship, Boggle, Upwords or Scrabble.
Helps to strengthen family bonds
Playing board games is a great way to get closer to your family, while strengthening your social skills. You might not talk about anything meaningful, but over time it can strengthen and build trust.
Annie says participation, collaboration and “playing fair” is what makes it so effective. “The strength of our family ties depends on our ability to empathise and connect with others without losing our sense of self. Board games help to facilitate and encourage this,” she says.
Try: Risk or Monopoly, Connect 4 or Yahtzee.
Reduces stress levels
Too much stress can lead to health problems, such as weight gain, depression and a lack of sleep. Playing board games is an effective way to reduce your stress levels because it distracts you from the source of your stress. “When you play board games, you’re fully absorbed in the moment, so it can be said to be a form of mindfulness, where you concentrate on the moment without thinking about life in the future or the past,” Annie says. “We tend to become anxious when we think about the future and depressed when we think about the past, so staying in the moment eliminates these patterns.”
Try: Cranium, Monopoly or Pictionary.
It makes you feel good!
“Board games can flatter our intelligence, improve our skills, show our wisdom and cunning and, at a deeper level, help us to connect with others,” tells Annie. “They may be ‘just games’, but they often have a deeper purpose and give great satisfaction.” And let’s face it, any activity that makes us feel better about ourselves is a good thing!
Try: Scattergories or Trivial Pursuit.
