Playing Trivia - It's Fun and It's Good for You

June 24, 2020

Written by Caroline Life, Marketing Writer and TMA VP of Communications

On July 8, 2020, The Marketing Alliance (TMA) of Colorado hosted a trivia and happy hour networking virtual event. Held in conjunction with Ad Club Colorado, AMA Colorado, Digital Analytics Association, PRSA Colorado, and TMA, the event is a way to meet new people in our Colorado professional community. We did a little digging into the trivia aspect of the evening, and learned that not only is trivia fun, it is good for you!

Trivia Unlocks Your Mind's Potential

Trivia seems to have the power to unlock the potential of the human mind. Companies have been using trivia games for years to improve mental performance and enhance creativity. Playing trivia games supports cognitive and brain development. It could also expand decision-making capabilities.

Mental Cross-Training

If playing trivia games can help us to think more creatively, and this breakthrough thinking yields competitive advantages, then trivia games can make us mentally stronger. The learning that happens when we experience a trivia quiz on a variety of topics can be considered a kind of mental cross-training. As our brains have to consider different topics at the same time, our minds have to make a greater effort to learn to manage the various subjects and their details, all at once. As our brains use logic and memory to summon the details of different topics at the same time, we remember details better than if we had to recall them separately. Aren’t our brains cool? Our brains on cross-training (aka trivia) are even cooler!

Trivia is also good for our brains because fact recollection engages with our frontal cortex to ‘keep the mind sharp’, says Mark Donehue, a Lecturer in Education at Deakin University who runs a trivia company called TRIVIA with an EDGE. Fact recollection strengthens our frontal cortex. Trivia also can aid in relaxation.

All the Dopamine, None of the Gambling Addiction

All joking aside, playing trivia games can provide additional benefits, including a chemical boost to our brain’s pleasure-seeking center. The dopamine rush we feel when playing trivia games, especially when we win, is much like the feeling we get when gambling. When playing trivia games, however, the rush happens without the negative effects that can be habit-forming, like in gambling. Knowing obscure trivia facts is good for our mental health.

Playing Trivia Provides Social Fun

Being part of a trivia team or even participating as a solo player provides some good social effects, too. The fun of knowing the right answer, cheering on the winners, consoling those who are not winning, and just being a part of a big trivia game has a positive impact.

As well as being fun, trivia has a host of benefits from health and social perspectives. Learning is heavily integrated with trivia, says Donehue. ‘Even writing questions I learn new things every day.’

Now complete, we had a great time playing trivia during our industry happy hour last July. We encourage you to keep playing trivia - it’s good for you and could help you and your internal company teams to stay mentally fit and socially connected. Let us know if you play trivia in your social time!

Written by Caroline Life, Marketing Writer and VP Communications, The Marketing Alliance

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