Want To Protect Your Brain As You Age? Play These Brain Games, New Study Says

As we get older, the unfortunate reality is that our mental faculties tend to decline. The good news, however, is we're learning more and more about how to preserve and even improve cognition as we age.

For this study, researchers wanted to assess the impact brain games can have on older adults, namely looking at different types of games and how those games influenced memory and concentration.

As such, a wide array of games were tested, and participants also completed digital experiments that involved memorizing images while they were distracted. 

And based on the findings, it would appear that digital puzzle games reign supreme when it comes to improving memory and concentration. Namely, adults 60 and up who played digital puzzle games were better at ignoring irrelevant distractions and had better memory in the assessments than adults playing digital strategy games.

Following this study, the researchers now say that future studies should look at why different games have different effects, especially as we age.

As study co-author Fiona McNab, Ph.D., notes, "It seems to be the strategy elements of the games—planning and problem solving, for example—that stimulates better memory and attention in young people. We don't see this same effect in older adults, however, and more research is needed to understand why this is."

But in the meantime, brain games (namely puzzle games as opposed to strategy or action games) could be an advantageous hobby to pick up for older populations.

And for further cognitive support as you age, it's also not a bad idea to look to brain-supporting supplements with research-backed ingredients that are proven to boost your brainpower. Here's a roundup of our favorite memory supplements, to that end.

Our brains are going to change as we get older—there's no doubt about that.