There are several studies done on the benefits of playing mahjong, cards, and other games that are mentally stimulating. We will highlight some of the research on our Patreon page for you. In a study done by Wang, Liu, and Zhao, older adults that played either cards or mahjong regularly or occasionally scored better in several areas over those that never played the game. Their research was based on 7,308 participants. The areas they tracked were orientation, registration, attention and calculation, recall, and language. This provides a final tally for a modified MMSE, the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE). It is modified for Chinese adults so they can understand what they are doing and is successfully used in many studies. The research study found that the MMSE was higher in both the regular and occasional players over the non-players. They found significant differences between the regular players and non-players in the areas of attention and calculation, language, and total MMSE score. You can find the complete study to review here: https://europepmc.org/article/MED/35954599. Association of Playing Cards or Mahjong with Cognitive Function in Chinese Older Adults. Wang J1, Liu N1, Zhao X1 Author information International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 28 Jul 2022, 19(15):9249 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph19159249 PMID: 35954599 PMCID: PMC9368645