Promoters of Bingo have long claimed that the game is good for keeping the mind agile and the neurons firing.

In order to keep track of the numbers being called out at a fair lick, especially when playing across multiple cards which most people do, certainly does require some mental gymnastics. There are some who have a natural flair for this kind of mental process, but is there any truth in the claim that one can actually improve ones’ mental agility by regularly playing the game?

Or is it simply a form of gambling and chance requiring a minimum amount of attention to detail with no discernable benefits apart from winning?

Let’s see what research into this subject reveals:

The University of Southampton’s Psychology Department carried out a study on the topic in recent times. Based on their findings the researches were convinced that the theory holds true and that bingo does in fact keep the mind sharp – this being of special importance to the elderly.

Bingo players were both more accurate and faster in tests measuring memory, mental speed and the ability to absorb and maintain information from their immediate environment, the tests revealed, than non-players.

The concept of time was distilled as the key advantage to the ongoing playing of the game – the time constraints in which the player must check his / her numbers is what benefits the mental agility of the player.

Many people are interested in how the tests were conducted. The participants comprised 112 people in two age groups - 18 to 40 and 60 to 82. Half of each played bingo regularly. Their results were consistently higher than the non-playing group members across a range of tests. In certain tests the older players did better than the younger players, supporting the theory that the game has specific benefits for the aging brain.

While younger players were generally quicker, they were less accurate than the older players.
So it seems that the study suggests prolonged or regular partaking in the game of bingo, over a sustained period of time, has definite cognitive benefits.