While many of us consider bingo an easy pastime however, it requires a lot of concentration, agility and the ability to be multi-tasking. Take a look at the below guide which will explain the major health benefits you can reap from playing bingo.
In addition to the fact that regular bingo play help keep your mind healthy and alert, but it could also assist you in avoiding serious diseases of the aging process as you age. We’re sure there are plenty of health benefits that come from engaging with a few games of bingo, but for the time being we’ve identified four of the top ones.
Bingo helps sharpen the mind
In 2002 researchers from the Psychology Department at the University of Southampton carried out a ground-breaking study which revealed that the game of bingo can sharpen your mind dramatically in a variety of ways. The benefits ranged from improved hand-eye coordination, to the ability to solve problems more quickly than before.
Julie Winstone, of the University’s Centre for Visual Cognition, interviewed 112 people in two different age groups between 18 and 40 and 60-82. For each age group 50 percent of the participants were asked to take part in bingo just a few hours per day, while the majority of people did not participate in the game in any way. In the Annual Conference of the Psychologists Special Interest Group in older People, Winstone revealed that each bingo player was significantly more alert and precise than those who did not play bingo. It is interesting to note that bingo players of the older age group performed over their younger counterparts at specific tasks, particularly when it comes to precision. However, once they had stopped playing bingo, the newly acquired capabilities began to diminish.
Bingo boosts happiness
In The United States, the Mental Health Association of Northeast Florida has begun using a variant of bingo, which was created in during the 1980s to serve as a method of therapy for those who suffer from depression. It is appropriately named Feel Good Bingo, this special game is basically similar to traditional bingo in that players strive to finish rows or complete a house. The main difference with this particular version is that there aren’t numbers, but only symbols that are connected to the depression-related symptoms like sleep issues, anxiety and feelings of despair. According to the CEO of the non-profit, Susan Siemer, visitors often end their sessions feeling much better than they were when they arrived as well as some stating that they “didn’t realize that depression could be this fun”.
The possibility is that this surge in happiness may be due to the release of endorphins by the brain when we’re having fun. Online bingo on websites with a range of bingo games to choose from which include the 90-ball and 70-ball versions and themed specials are believed to be similar because the thrilling game boosts the brain’s activity and allows people to have fun socially, less stress. There are numerous studies that prove that having fun can make us happier and bingo is no any different.
Bingo Helps You Heal
Bingo-based therapy isn’t just employed to treat depression however, medical professionals have observed that musical bingo can boost the health of patients in a variety of ways. In 2011, for instance, Salisbury District Hospital in Wiltshire found that hospital stays were less for older patients who played bingo during their rehabilitation.
In the program, 15 volunteers – who were all students and graduates of psychology – were asked to participate in different games with patients, including bingo for about three hours per day. In the following year the British Medical Association (BMA) published a report further supporting the notion that keeping patients entertained through bingo games reduced hospitalization. After the trial had come to an end, top medical professionals were so impressed they launched a nationwide campaign.
Bingo Can Improve Your Memory
It is also a known reality that bingo enhances our capacity to keep memories in mind This is a fact that’s always supported by a variety of research studies. The majority of studies we’ve already examined support this belief by proving it with evidence, and show that bingo keeps our minds active. In the end of the day, it’s this game that improves memory, and has been proven to decrease the effects of Alzheimer’s and dementia.
Of course, there’s the fact that playing the game requires participants to activate the memory centers of our brains in a more specific way, since we need to remember which numbers were called and which numbers are still on our cards, and the number of calls likely in the coming days. All of these elements give our memory centers a amazing workout that will leave lasting impressions in our minds for a long time to come.
Bingo is a fantastic tool to keep us healthy and happy when it is played on a regular on a regular.