In today’s world, where there are endless streams of passive activities such as watching TV, scrolling through social media, playing video games, or watching Netflix, it is easy to get lost.
For most people worldwide, these are the preferred activities and are considered harmless forms of entertainment. However, these activities can be detrimental to our mental health, especially our cognitive function over time.
Compared to these passive activities, board games are so much more beneficial. Instead of wasting your time on these passive activities, you can simply play board games like Words With Friends, which offer a fun and engaging way to exercise our brains, improve our cognitive function, and promote social interaction.
Why Passive Activities are Harmful to Cognitive Function
Passive activities, such as watching TV, playing video games, or scrolling through various social media apps, have a negative effect on our cognitive function. Our brains require constant stimulation and challenge to stay healthy, but these activities require little to no mental effort, which leads to a decrease in cognitive function over time.
In addition, these passive activities involve excessive screen time, which is also bad for our health. It has been shown that excessive screen time is linked to poor academic performance in children and hinders the development of cognitive functions in adults as well.
Excessive screen time is also bad for eyesight, especially in growing children. Pediatricians around the world recommend limiting screen time to no more than two hours per day for children over the age of two and avoiding screens altogether for children under the age of 18 months.
Along with all of this, passive activities are also bad for our physical health. These activities involve little to no physical activity and require sitting in front of screens for long periods. This leads to physical health problems, such as obesity and poor posture.
Why Board Games are a Better Alternative to Passive Activities
Now, let’s talk about the actual topic, why are board games a better alternative to passive activities? Well, there are several reasons why board games are a better alternative.
Firstly, board games require active participation and mental effort from players, which is important for cognitive development, prevents cognitive decline in older people, and keeps our minds stimulated. There are so many board games available that aid in the development of various cognitive functions, including classic ones like Chess, Crosswords, and Monopoly, and modern ones like Pandemic, Dungeons & Dragons, and Codenames.
Each board game comes with unique mental challenges that improve cognitive skills such as memory, attention, critical thinking, problem-solving, decision-making, math skills, and communication. In fact, there are specific tools like Scrabble Word Finder available that are designed to aid players in the development of various cognitive skills, such as vocabulary.
Secondly, board games can be played by people of all ages, providing a great way to exercise the brain at any stage of life. And the social aspect of board games cannot be ignored. Board games offer a unique way for people of all ages and groups to play together, communicate, interact, and build social relationships with each other.
Multiple board games require players to work together and communicate effectively to win, which improves social skills, promotes empathy and understanding, and leads to a greater feeling of connection and belonging.
Board games are also beneficial for growing children who are developing their social skills and struggling with conflict resolution, as board games provide a safe and fun way to develop these skills.
Lastly, playing board games also helps to strengthen relationships with family and friends and allows you to create lasting memories with the people you love. Board games provide an entertaining way to spend time with your loved ones and catch up on each other’s lives.
Conclusion
In conclusion, while passive activities like watching TV, Netflix, scrolling through social media, and playing video games are considered popular forms of entertainment, they aren’t much beneficial for your cognitive and physical health. On the other hand, board games constantly challenge our minds, require active participation & mental effort, and promote social interaction, due to which they are a better alternative to passive activities.
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