Wouldn’t it be nice if playing video games were actually good for you? Well, you’re in luck. A recent New York Times story reported on a new study indicating that playing simple video games apparently make your brain younger.
The Study
According to the story in the Times, older adults playing a fairly easy video game in which they need to swerve to avoid cars while identifying road signs displayed the neurological brain impulses of much younger people. Researchers discovered that adults as old as 80 began showing neurological patterns more common to younger people in their 20s.
Transferred
Researchers found, too, that these gains continued after older adults turned off the video games. This means that older adults again exhibited the neurological patterns of much younger adults when undertaking their daily activities.
A Good Excuse?
So, it could be time for our older readers to break out their long-abandoned copies of Pac-Man and Space Invaders. Any scenario that helps build a younger brain ought to be embraced. If it takes a few hours of shooting down aliens or gobbling dots to get it done? That’s better still.