Can playing ping pong really help in improving mood as well as memory?

Posted On By Harish

These days, several large and small startups have a ping pong table in the organization. Not just offices, some of the rich and famous have a dedicated ping pong room at their residence.

The sport got the attention and importance that it deserved in 1988 when it was included in Olympics. It’s one of the world’s most played sports. According to the International Table Tennis Federation’s records, more than 300 million individuals play table tennis.

A look at game’s history

IOC- International Olympic Committee’s data suggests that this indoor sport was born during the 19th century.

This may sound weird, but some stories suggest that initially table tennis was played with a champagne cork as the ball, books were used as the net, and anything like a cigar box lid was used as a racket. It was popular as an alternative to lawn tennis, and people preferred to play it right after their dinner.

The game started becoming popular during 1900 when some companies started producing special table tennis balls. Cork and rubber were replaced with a proper ball. And, because of this ball, the game got its name ping pong.

This sport also had other weird names like parlor tennis, Gossima, Netto, Flim-Flam, Pim-Pam, and Whiff-Waff. In some countries, it is known as table tennis.

Indoor, as well as, outdoor ping pong table is equally popular these days.

Can it really improve brain’s functioning?

The game helps in improving coordination, quickness and strategy implementation. Thus, it’s also known as brain sport. The sport’s injury risk is extremely low, so, it has managed to find itself a place in several offices.

“Healthy Brain, Happy Life” is one of the recently released books that offer a look into how physical activities can influence the human brain. Its author Wendy Suzuki recently interacted with journalists and shared her opinion about how table tennis can prove to be of great help for brain health.

She pointed out that the sport helps in improving attention, memory and this also helps in activating certain parts of the brain.

Instead of ping pong, some people prefer running, walking or playing lawn tennis. But, these cannot be compared with table tennis because as it’s played in a small area, individuals are forced to strategize and respond at high-speed according to Suzuki.

These are just some of the benefits offered by the sport. It can definitely prove to be extremely useful in order to energize and motivate employees while they are on break.