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Play Time! It’s In the Cards

Gather some friends for a game or two

By

Staying Sharp

Updated May 20, 2024

Updated May 20, 2024

A group of people smiling and playing cards together

Paul Bradbury/Getty Images

Quick Win

You may learn some new strategies and enjoy time with friends. That’s a double-win.

Try This Today

When you plan a get together with friends or family, include a card game in your plans.
Connect and enjoy the friendly competition of rummy 500, poker, bridge or spades. Extra points for being the scorekeeper.

Why

Researchers are encouraging adults to get back in the habit of play. One way to bring fun and games back into your life is with a deck of cards. Playing a game of cards with friends is a fun and easy way to improve your mood and stay engaged. In a 10-year study of more than 10,300 Australians in their 70s, playing card games was among the pursuits associated with a lower risk of dementia, along with reading, writing letters or journaling, using a computer and doing crosswords, reported in 2023 in JAMA Network Open.

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Legal Disclaimer: Staying Sharp, including all content and features, is offered for informational purposes and to educate users on brain health care and medical issues that may affect their daily lives. Staying Sharp is based on a holistic, lifestyle approach to brain health that encourages users to incorporate into their daily lives activities that are associated with general wellness. Nothing in the service should be considered, or used as a substitute for, medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Features including the Cognitive Assessment and Lifestyle Check-Ins, Additional Tests, exercises, and challenges assess performance at a particular moment in time on certain discrete cognitive tasks. Staying Sharp games are intended for entertainment and recreational purposes only. Various factors may affect performance, including sleep, tiredness, focus, and other social, environmental, or emotional factors. Performance is not indicative of cognitive health and not predictive of future performance or medical conditions.

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