Did you know that playing Mahjong gives your brain a full workout? Especially for older adults, it's an activity that engages multiple parts of the mind at once.

It’s more than just picking tiles—it’s thinking, remembering, reacting, and connecting with others. Here's how it helps:

Which Brain Areas Are Involved?

these brain regions are likely involved:

• Prefrontal cortex – planning and decision-making
• Hippocampus – memory and learning
• Parietal lobes – calculation and spatial logic
• Temporal lobes – language and sound processing

What Mental Skills Get a Boost?

• Attention and Calculation：You need to stay focused, calculate which tiles are still in play, and track the whole game. This sharpens focus and math-related thinking.
• Reaction Speed：The game moves fast. You have to think quickly and act fast. Daily players tend to have much better reaction scores than non-players.
• Memory and Recall：Remembering which tiles have been played and what patterns are possible helps improve both short- and long-term memory.
• Self-Coordination：Planning, judging, adjusting—these actions rely on strong coordination and decision-making, all of which Mahjong helps strengthen.
• Language and Communication：As a social game, Mahjong encourages talking, interpreting others’ moves, and expressing your own ideas—great for verbal skills and social understanding.