Board Games and Dementia: What the Research Says

Do board games prevent dementia? A plain look at what the research on board games and dementia shows, what it does not, and what families can do with it.

8 min read

The short answer is no, nothing has been shown to prevent dementia, and board games are no exception. The longer and more interesting answer is that the research on board games and dementia keeps pointing the same direction: people who play games regularly through middle and later life tend to show slower cognitive decline than people who don’t. That is an association, not a cure. But it is a consistent one, and it is worth understanding.

This article walks through what the main studies found, why researchers are careful about how they phrase it, and what a reasonable person might do with the information. If you or someone you love has concerns about memory or thinking, talk to a doctor. This is background reading, not advice.

What have the big studies found about board games and dementia?

A handful of long-running cohort studies are the backbone of this topic. They follow large groups of people for decades and look at who develops dementia and who doesn’t.

The Lothian Birth Cohort in Scotland is one of the most useful. Researchers at the University of Edinburgh have followed people born in 1936 who took an intelligence test at age 11, then retested them repeatedly in their 70s. One 2019 analysis from that cohort, covering more than 1,000 people tested at 70 and again every three years to 79, found that those who played more non-digital games like cards, board games, chess, bingo, and crosswords scored better on memory and thinking tests in their 70s, and that people who increased their game playing over that decade showed less decline, particularly in memory and thinking speed. The pattern held after adjusting for childhood intelligence, education, socioeconomic status, and activity levels, though the researchers described the association as small.

A French cohort study known as PAQUID, run out of Bordeaux, followed about 3,700 older adults for 20 years and reported in 2013 that board game players had a roughly 15 percent lower risk of developing dementia than non-players after adjusting for age, sex, and education. That difference shrank and was no longer statistically significant once baseline cognition and depression were accounted for, and the authors were clear that reverse causation remained possible and only a controlled trial could settle the question.

An often-cited 2003 paper in the New England Journal of Medicine, led by Joe Verghese and based on the Bronx Aging Study, looked at leisure activities in 469 people aged 75 and older, followed for a median of about five years, and found that frequent participation in cognitively demanding activities, including board games, playing a musical instrument, reading, and dancing, was associated with a reduced risk of dementia.

None of these studies handed people a copy of Ticket to Ride and watched what happened. They observed what people already did. That matters, and it is where the caution comes from.

Why can’t researchers say games prevent dementia?

The problem is called reverse causation, and it is simple once you see it.

Dementia develops slowly, often over many years before diagnosis. A person in the earliest, invisible stage may find games harder and quietly stop playing. If you then survey people and find that non-players get dementia more often, you can’t tell whether games protected the players or whether early disease pushed the non-players away from the table.

Researchers try to handle this by excluding anyone diagnosed within the first few years of a study, or by using childhood test scores as a baseline, as the Lothian team did. That strengthens the case. It does not close it. The honest summary from most of the field is that regular mental and social engagement is associated with better cognitive aging, and that board games are one good form of that engagement.

There is also the question of what, exactly, is doing the work. A game of Codenames involves language, memory, inference, reading other people, and laughter. Which part helps? Nobody knows. The research suggests it may be the combination.

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Is it the game or the company?

This is the most important question in the whole topic, and the evidence leans toward “both, and don’t separate them.”

The U.S. Surgeon General’s 2023 advisory on loneliness and isolation summarized a large body of work connecting social disconnection to worse health outcomes, including an approximately 50 percent higher risk of developing dementia in older adults with chronic loneliness or isolation. Julianne Holt-Lunstad’s 2010 meta-analysis, which pooled 148 studies covering more than 300,000 people, found that those with stronger social relationships had about a 50 percent greater likelihood of survival over the study periods, an effect the authors described as comparable to quitting smoking.

The Harvard Study of Adult Development, which has followed people since the late 1930s, reached a similar place from a different direction. Its directors have said for years that the people most satisfied in their relationships at 50 were the healthiest at 80, a better predictor than their midlife cholesterol levels, and that strong social support was tied to less mental decline with age.

So when a study finds that card players decline more slowly, part of what it is measuring may be that card players have a standing Tuesday with three friends. A solo crossword and a weekly game of euchre are not the same activity. The second one comes with people.

ActivityMental challengeSocial contactNovelty over time
Solo crosswordYesNoLow
Brain-training appYesNoLow to moderate
Weekly card game with the same groupModerateYesLow to moderate
Board game night with a rotating libraryYesYesHigh

The table is a way of thinking, not a ranking from a study. But it shows why a game night checks more boxes than most alternatives.

What about brain-training apps?

A large body of research on commercial “brain games” has been underwhelming. The general finding is that people get better at the specific task they practice and that the improvement does not transfer much to daily life. A group of cognitive psychologists and neuroscientists, convened by the Stanford Center on Longevity and the Max Planck Institute for Human Development, published a consensus statement in 2014 pushing back on marketing claims from the brain-training industry and noting there was little evidence that brain games improve broad cognitive abilities.

A board game is different in a few ways that may matter. The rules change every time you switch games, so there is constant novelty. The opponents are human, so the challenge adapts. And it happens at a table, which brings in the social half of the picture. Whether that makes a measurable difference in dementia risk has not been shown. But it explains why researchers tend to treat tabletop games as richer than a tap-the-screen app.

What would a sensible person do with this?

Here is where it is easy to overpromise, so let’s not.

  • Nothing in this research says that playing games will stop you or anyone else from developing dementia.
  • The research does suggest that staying mentally engaged and socially connected through your 50s, 60s, and 70s is associated with better outcomes, and that games are a pleasant way to do both at once.
  • The best activity is the one you will keep doing. A game you enjoy with people you like beats a worthy one you dread.
  • If you are worried about your own memory, or a family member’s, see a doctor. Early evaluation matters, and no article replaces it.

For practical ideas, the pieces on games to play with grandparents who say they don’t play games and why a weekly game night is a cure for loneliness are good next reads. The underlying idea is simple: pick a night, pick a group, and keep showing up.

FAQ

Do board games prevent dementia?

No. No activity has been shown to prevent dementia. Several long-term studies have found that people who play games regularly show slower cognitive decline, but that is an association, not proof of prevention.

Which games are best for brain health?

The research doesn’t single out specific titles. Studies have mostly looked at broad categories like cards, chess, and board games. Games that combine thinking with other people, like Codenames, Wingspan, or a standing card game, cover the most ground.

Is it better to play alone or with others?

The evidence on social connection and health is strong enough that most researchers would favor playing with others. A solo puzzle has value, but it leaves out the social piece, which the Surgeon General’s advisory and the Holt-Lunstad meta-analyses both tie to long-term health.

When should I talk to a doctor?

If you or someone close to you notices memory lapses that interfere with daily life, repeated confusion, or a change in personality, see a doctor. Games are a good habit, not a substitute for evaluation.

Keep playing, keep showing up

The Ludarium exists because we believe play is a lifelong practice, not a childhood phase. Our work with the LEV Institute looks at games the way others look at diet and exercise: as a social and mental health habit worth building on purpose. The game is the reason. The people are the point.

New articles on play and health go to subscribers first. Subscribe to the Ludarium newsletter for new pieces, and if you’re in Indianapolis, come find a table at the lounge.

Sources

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  • do board games prevent dementia
  • games for brain health
  • cognitive decline and games
  • mental stimulation and aging
  • social activity and dementia risk
  • Play and health
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