Mahjong is having a moment again, and doctors say that might be good news for healthy ageing.
The centuries-old Chinese tile game has seen a surge in popularity on social media and in leagues and lessons popping up around the Chicago area.
Dr Erika Hutz, a geriatrician with Endeavor Health, said the game could have health benefits.
“As a geriatrician, if someone asked me what is the one activity that I would recommend for healthy aging, Mahjong would be very high on my list,” she said.
Many of Hutz’s patients have played Mahjong for decades, including 89-year-old Marcia Myers, who is now sharing what she knows with a new generation of women learning the game.
“I find it fascinating,” Myers said. “It’s definitely a game of strategy because you have to know what you’re doing, and what your opponent is doing.”
Mahjong is a game of skill and chance that requires focus, visual and mental coordination.
Players mix the tiles, place them face down, and build them into two-layer blocks. They take turns throwing the dice and receiving tiles according to the number thrown, then sort and arrange their own tiles into spatial sequences.
One study found it can slow cognitive decline and improve attention and memory in elderly people.
Hutz said the game can also help combat social isolation because it requires four players.
“Social isolation is as risky as smoking for older adults,” Hutz said. “And one of the antidotes is Mahjong, because Mahjong is creating that routine, it creates the community, it creates that connection. It creates this sense of purpose because there’s a reason for you to show up because the group is counting on you.”
Myers, who has been playing for 70 years, said the game keeps her brain sharp.
“Yes, as far as I’m concerned, it does,” Myers said. “And it can be a game of profit, but you can’t do that when you’re, what we call an amateur. You have to know what you’re doing. And you can’t have all the conversation that’s going on.”
For people looking to slow cognitive decline, Hutz said her top three pieces of advice are exercise, a healthy diet and mental stimulation from a social game like Mahjong.
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