The Growing Popularity of Mah Jongg

With Chinese origins more than a thousand years ago, Mah Jongg has been adopted in other cultures for centuries. However, it is currently enjoying a massive global renaissance, particularly in the United States.

It was an American businessman who is credited with bringing Maj Jongg to this country after spending several months immersed in its “culture” more than a hundred years ago. So, even though it seems like trend of late for retirees (think pickleball craze), it has been here to stay for a long time already.

Maj Jongg is more than an activity—it’s a vital tool for mental sharpness and an important source of social connection.

It has been described as “aerobics for the brain.”

Locally, Mah Jongg’s popularity is evidenced by the growing number of neighborhood leagues, senior center programs and weekly competitions at places such as the Lewes Library. There are lessons offered on Facebook. There are even semester-long classes (with a waiting list) taught for beginners and intermediates at OLLI in Lewes. (See suggestions at end)

The lure of this game, particularly for seniors is multidimensional. It is social – sessions can go on for hours. It is competitive – or not really, depending on your companions. Regardless, participants agree that with patience during the learning process, it is fun. Perhaps most importantly, it presents a cognitive challenge.

Mah Jongg requires a complex blend of memorization, strategy, pattern recognition and some mathematical anticipation. And as we all know as we age, that cognitive edge is incredibly important for our physical and neurological health.

There is also excitement because it is, after all, a game of chance. Your beginning “hand” (a collection of tiles), like a card game is random. It keeps your opponents guessing. Think: Poker Face.

For those of you not yet familiar at all with Mah Jongg, the game uses small acrylic tiles with symbols imprinted on them. The anonymity of your “hand” and intended pattern you want to find in the tiles are hidden by a wall no one else can see (a fancier ledge than Scrabble). The tiles from the initial ones you chose from a large face down pile are strategically lined up on a platform only you can see.

From there, well, it is hard to explain in writing. I’d recommend finding a player willing to allow you to watch what happens next. We’ve also provided videos and links at the end to get you started.

At a Mah Jongg match, the rhythmic “clack-clack” of shuffling tiles is the soundtrack signaling the start of a new match. After that, it can be intensely quiet while players follow several formalities rules of etiquette. Traditions and respect for the original Eastern spirituality of Mah Jongg are an enormous factor in play. A newbie can easily and inadvertently have a “dead hand” because a seemingly innocuous move can render all efforts null in just one mistake.

Mah Jongg requires your attention span, for sure. There are a dizzying number of rules and strategies and expectations to a beginner student of Mah Jongg. Regardless of level of experience, games can be light and social, or serious and intimidatingly competitive.

Researchers agree. The documented cognitive benefits you can expect include: executive function (decision making), memory retention, delayed cognitive decline.

The social benefits you can expect include four-player dynamics, community building (such as meeting new people at a senior center), and a “low stakes” environment, meaning it’s very conversational and engaging.

As everything seems to be, even Mah Jongg is available interactively on the internet, in case you are unable to make it to a match in person, or you don’t have the foursome required. Plenty of apps are available that teach and challenge users as an option.

Here are some options locally and online to get started – or join, if you are already a player.