Bridge: A Fun and Social Game

The card game of bridge is fun and a great way to build a social network of friends. But bridge, a partnership card game that originated in the Middle East in the 19th century, has even more going for it: It can sharpen your wits, help ward off Alzheimer's, and even make you physically healthier. Bridge works its magic through sheer complexity. Players must remember each player's cards, which builds memory skills. They must plan ahead, strategize, and use logic, all of which challenge and stimulate the brain. Plus bridge is played in groups. According to a study of adults 50 and older published in the Journal of Gerontology, social interaction markedly decreased intellectual decline. In a study published in New England Journal of Medicine, researchers followed the leisure activities of 469 senior citizens for five years. Those who regularly played cards showed a greatly reduced incidence of dementia, while those who exercised exhibited little change from the normal population. Daryl Fisher, who taught English, speech, and debate at a New Orleans private school, could have told you that from his own experience. "When I taught bridge to retired adults," he says, "you could see their interest in life perk up as they made friends and got hooked on the game." A more bridge-specific University of California, Berkeley study shows that playing bridge increases the number of immune cells. Participants in the study included a group of 12 female bridge players. The women, in their 70s and 80s, were divided into three groups; two groups played bridge for 90 minutes, the third didn't. Blood samples were taken before and after play. The two bridge-playing groups showed a significant increase in CD-4 positive T cells, which seek out and destroy foreign bodies in the body. The third group displayed only a modest increase. The study suggests that brain activity might be able to stimulate the immune system. Bridge is casual and funny and serious all at the same time, and you make lifelong friends. It is a great game for adults of all ages. If you are interested in playing bridge, opportunities abound. If you’d like to play bridge on Tuesdays at 1:00pm, call Gretchen at 433-1886; you can play regularly or be a substitute. Duplicate Bridge is played every Tuesday at 7:00pm and Saturdays at 1:00pm; please call Dian at 688-1226 or 238-2230. Again, you can play regularly or be a substitute. Or, there is a Friendly Duplicate Bridge Group that plans Fridays at 1:00pm for fun and good times (no master points). For more information or to join the Friday group, please call Gerry at 791-4075 or Karen at 751-6646. All these bridge sessions are played at The Dale Association, 33 Ontario Street, Lockport. If you are looking for fun, friendship and bridge – I hope you will call.