Can Solitaire Predict Your Brain Power? A New Study Says Yes.

At Solitaired, we’ve always believed games can be more than just fun—they can also help sharpen your mind. Now, there’s real science to back that up.

Over a year ago, we partnered with researchers from UCLA CRESST and Lyons Assessment Consulting to study if playing Solitaire on our site can give us clues about how your brain is working—especially when it comes to memory, attention, and thinking speed.

And guess what? The answer is yes. You can see the research here.

The Big Idea: Your Brain Leaves Clues in How You Play

Every time you play a game of Solitaire, you’re making decisions, paying attention, remembering where cards are, and reacting quickly. These are all key parts of mental acuity, or how sharp your thinking is.

Traditional brain tests (like those given in clinics) can feel intimidating and artificial. But a game? That’s natural, familiar, and fun. So we worked with academic researchers to see: could we measure mental sharpness just from Solitaire gameplay?

What the Study Did

Over 4,000 people played our Solitaire Game of the Day on Solitaired.com and then completed a short brain test from The Many Brains Project, a research organization that builds online tools to measure cognitive function.

Researchers looked at:

• How long players took per move
• How many moves they made
• Whether they used hints or undos
• Players’ age and self-reported memory issues

Then the researchers we worked with used that data to predict how well players did on official brain tests that measure things like:

• Processing speed (how fast you think)
• Working memory (how well you remember things in real time)
• Visual memory (how well you recognize patterns and shapes)

What Researchers Found

• The way you play Solitaire reflects how your brain works. For example, players who took longer per move tended to have slower reaction times on brain tests.
• Age matters. Older players generally took more time per move and scored lower on brain speed tasks. This is expected, but the model helps adjust for that.
• Hints and undos mattered only a little. They weren’t strong signs of brain function, but may still play a role in how people strategize.

So What Does This Mean for You?

It means Solitaire isn’t just a card game—it’s also a window into your mind.

Soon, on Soliatired, you’ll see a feature where we will ask you for your age, and give you a predicted cognitive score.

These scores could help you track your cognitive health over time, all from the comfort of a game you already love.

Could This Help Detect Early Cognitive Decline?

Yes! The study shows that gameplay might be useful in spotting early signs of mild cognitive impairment (MCI)—which sometimes comes before Alzheimer’s or other conditions. It’s not a diagnosis, but it’s a helpful early flag.

With our performance tracking features on Solitaired, playing solitaire can be an easy and fun way to make brain tracking more accessible—especially for older adults.

Final Thoughts

We’re proud to be at the cutting edge of game-based brain science. Keep playing our solitaire games! Your brain will thank you.