Margaret Loves the Thrill of The Chase

Meet Margaret. Margaret lives in our Reservoir aged care residence and enjoys watching her favourite TV program with her neighbouring friend, Joan.

Pictured above: Margaret loves the thrill of The Chase and enjoys the sense of wellbeing and company it gives her.

Each afternoon, Margaret excuses herself from other activities, and pops the telly on to watch The Chase. Her ‘Chase bestie’ Joan soon follows.

“I’m the one that answers all the questions,” says Joan. “I always have a guess, and sometimes I beat them!”

Margaret loves the thrill of The Chase and enjoys the sense of wellbeing it gives her.

For the uninitiated, The Chase is a popular television quiz show, that originated in the UK but has gained popularity in Australia. Australian contestants play against a professional quizzer, known as the "Chaser", who attempts to prevent them from winning a cash prize.

Margaret also enjoys her own company and often listens to 3AW for some quiet companionship in her room – while keeping up-to-date with the all the latest news and gossip across Australia.

“It has ALL the news!” adds Margaret. “I like listening to talkback the most.”

Being actively engaged with the latest news, quiz or a trivia program, has a great benefit on your mental, cognitive and emotional health, as Margaret has found watching The Chase.

One remarkable benefit is the way it can enhance your ability to remember details, as you expand your knowledge and learn new and interesting facts.

“Fact recollection engages with your frontal cortex to keep the mind sharp,” says Mark Donehue, a Lecturer in Education at Deakin University. It is through fact recollection that we are able to strengthen that part of the brain, not unlike exercising a muscle.

It also helps reduce your risk of dementia.

Dementia Australia states that mentally challenging your brain and being socially active can help boost your brain health and may help reduce your risk of developing dementia.

Of course, the immediate benefit is a rush of excitement when you answer a question correctly.

Experts say playing trivia games can provide a dopamine rush much like gambling, without the negative effects.

“You get a rush, neuroreward signal or a dopamine burst from winning,” says professor of psychology John Kounios. “Whenever you’re challenged with a trivia question and you happen to know it, you get a rush. It’s sort of like gambling.”

Playing a quiz can also help relieve stress and anxiety. This is all thanks to the dopamine burst we often get when we experience the thrill of winning.

Quiz sessions are one of our most popular group lifestyle activities across Mayflower – and it’s not surprising why!