made for them. Some scientists
accuse the multi-billion dollar industry
of preying on people’s fears of
memory loss. Playing any brain game
increases scores on that and similar
games, but this does not necessarily
mean a general improvement in
memory. Games like chess, bridge
and Scrabble that demand strategic
thinking as well as memory may be
more helpful. Playing ‘brain games’
may even be detrimental to elderly
people if it keeps them away from
getting out, seeing friends and taking
exercise. These are the activities that
really keep our brains functioning well
into old age.
