The casual player may perceive Mahjong as a leisurely game where you have to match tiles while drinking tea and having pleasant conversations. But experienced players know it’s not a very relaxing pastime. Mahjong can quickly become psychological warfare, hidden behind tiles with symbols of bamboo and friendly-looking dragons.
If you’ve ever sat down at a Mahjong table or online game and walked away with a grudge or the need to go into a post-game negative spiral, it means you’ve played it right.
Is Mahjong A Game Of Luck?
Many people describe Mahjong as a game that combines both skill and pure luck. The randomness of the shuffled tiles indicates that it’s a game of chance, however, those who can read the outcome of the game and adapt their playing strategy may say otherwise.
Yes, luck plays a big role, but that is only a small part of the game, with a big part of playing involving technique. Skilled players can spot a poor hand and manipulate it, or withhold tiles to stop others from winning. They can understand both defensive and offensive strategies, knowing the game is not just about their own hand but also all the other players’ moves. Although a lucky novice may score the occasional win, over several rounds, those with skill will take the majority of the wins.
You might not be able to control the tiles you draw, leaving it up to fate, but you do have control over how you play them. Players need to respond to their tiles, adapt their strategies, and read their opponents, whether they’re playing at home with friends or online for real money on Mahjong365.com. The difference between winning and losing is often in how you anticipate a threat from your opponent before it arrives.
Managing Your Emotions While Playing
Traditionally, Mahjong is played with family and friends, which can result in overwhelming emotions, and it’s easy to lose control when you’re playing with people you know. Discarding the wrong tile may make you feel passive-aggressive towards other players, or make you feel like you’re always losing, dredging up some childhood trauma. Old rivalries may resurface, grudges you thought you’d let go reemerge, and a simple game night quickly transforms into a room with emotionally heightened players.
Emotional regulation is important while playing Mahjong, especially when you’re in the middle of a losing streak. Players need to approach the game like a marathon, not a sprint, and focus on the outcome over time. If you feel overwhelmed, then you should step away from the game for a while, reset your mind, and return with more discipline.
This is easier said than done, especially if you keep failing while your friends jeer at you. But, if you manage your emotions and keep a poker face, you will soon be a master at Mahjong. You will quickly begin to recognise patterns in your thinking and learn to shift away from a bruised ego to play a more successful game.
How Mahjong Can Help With Cognitive Functioning
If you can look past the bruised ego and trauma from losing, Mahjong actually has true benefits, especially for ageing brains. A study published in Frontiers in Neurology found that elders who had mild cognitive impairment showed significant improvement in brain function when they played Mahjong three times a week for 12 weeks.
Participants were tested on memory, attention, and daily functioning. Compared to the control group, those who played Mahjong improved across the board, showing how the game can stabilise or even reverse cognitive decline. This was also true for participants who had suffered a traumatic brain injury.
Mahjong requires players to recall which tiles have been played, make quick decisions, and constantly calculate the next move. These factors of the game benefit the brain, while the social aspect of playing with loved ones can help reduce the effects of emotional trauma. Playing Mahjong gives the same outcome as traditional brain training games, but it is much more engaging and social.
Studies have also found that Mahjong can reduce stress, elevate mood, and overall improve the quality of your life. So, even though you may feel triggered when playing and get slightly traumatised when you keep losing, you’re actually significantly helping your brain and mood.
Lessons To Learn From Mahjong
Mahjong can act like a self-help book wrapped in a box of tiles. You can learn valuable life lessons while playing, like “You can do everything right and still lose” and “Your winning may mean you have to rely on someone else’s mistakes”. These can be brutal lessons to learn, but they’re often true in life.
Mahjong also teaches patience. You may have to patiently wait for the right opportunity to discard a tile without getting distracted by the players next to you. It’s a real test of self-restraint and maintaining your inner peace.
It also teaches adaptability. You may not be able to construct the perfect hand, and you have to remain flexible to change your strategy or goal.
Losing is never fun, but by losing, you’re taught humility. You may be losing today, but perhaps during the next round you will finally win.
Finally, Mahjong helps players to be more resilient. You have to learn to lose without dredging up past traumas, manage your emotions, and keep coming back to the table. It’s not about chasing luck, it’s about remaining resilient in the face of negative emotions and continuing to develop your skills so you can win in the future. It is clear that Mahjong is more than a game based on luck, it is trauma management hidden as a fun hobby.
