Chatting is just as effective as brain-training
By IANSFriday, January 21, 2011
LONDON - Holding a simple chat could be just as effective as playing popular “brain-training” games that have spawned a multi-million pound industry.
Researchers from the University of Zurich in Switzerland compared 36 studies on memory exercises conducted between 1970 and 2007.
They found some studies suggested both healthy older adults and those with mild cognitive impairment could remember words better after some memory training, the journal Cochrane Library reports.
However, other research found this improvement was matched by those asked to hold a discussion about art, according to the Daily Mail.
The finding that social interaction could be just as effective at keeping memory loss at bay comes after Age Concern warned that more than a million people aged over 65 feel trapped and isolated in their own homes.
The charity warned solitary lifestyles were a “silent epidemic” sweeping the nation.
A researcher said most, although not all, people experience a cognitive decline in old age.
This can include memory loss and inability to plan, pay close attention or perform tasks as quickly as before.
