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18 Benefits and Advantages of Playing Monopoly (the Game)!

Last Updated on January 7, 2024 by Gamesver Team and JC Franco

Cropped view of people playing monopoly game at table
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I love Monopoly – there, I said it! It’s actually no secret to anyone who knows me. Most people know that if they come around for dinner or to hang out, I am going to haul out the Monopoly board and rope everyone into a game or two. That being said, I don’t just like Monopoly “because” it’s a game. I like it because it comes with a bunch of benefits attached, not just for me, but for everyone who participates; young and old. 

Today, I’ll share at least 18 benefits and advantages of playing monopoly, each of which I am willing to swear by. The more you play, the more you benefit. It sounds great, right? If you want to learn more about each of these 18 benefits, simply read on.

These are 18 benefits of playing Monopoly. Monopoly:

1. Is “something to do” for a group gathering.

If you are hosting a gathering at home and want to provide entertainment that everyone can get involved in, board games are a great option. Monopoly is a popular board game for groups, because it can be enjoyed by people of all ages and backgrounds and is heaps of fun. Instead of just sitting around making small talk, members of your social gathering can play a game and enjoy each other’s company while sharing a common focus.

a child throws dice into the game Monopoly
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2. Promotes bonding and interpersonal connection. 

When a group of people is focusing on the same project or task, it promotes bonding and light-hearted interpersonal connection. For people who struggle to strike up a conversation or make small talk, playing a game such as Monopoly that requires concentration and also interaction can be a great ice breaker, as well as a healthy way to learn how to communicate better with others. It takes the awkwardness and anxiety out of the situation and eases things.

3. Boosts confidence and firm decision-making skills.

In order to get ahead in Monopoly, players must act with confidence and make well thought out decisions based on thorough considerations. When players take action in Monopoly and succeed, it’s a great confidence boost.

4. Reduces the risk of mental degradation.

An active mind is a healthy mind. While doing puzzles and playing board games cannot cure a mental illness, it can certainly help towards keeping the mind sharper for longer. If you want to control or keep the symptoms of dementia or Alzheimer’s disease at bay, keeping the mind fit is essential.

5. Promotes spending wisely to avoid debt.

In Monopoly, players can loan money from the bank, but if you do so consistently without a strategy in mind, you could find yourself in serious debt. Playing Monopoly properly teaches people to spend their available money wisely, and to resist the temptation of borrowing money unnecessarily, which only leads to debt.

Hands with dollar banknotes. Concept of savings, spending, and paying
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6. Boosts memory formation and cognitive skills.

Learning the rules of the game will be a great way to boost your memory skills. In order to develop cognitive skills, one has to practice certain activities and tasks. Cognitive skills are skills used to read, learn, focus, and remember. These skills help you to gather incoming information and store it to memory, which you can then refer to during everyday life. Playing games like Monopoly, helps to exercise the part of the brain that manages cognitive skills development.

7. Teaches entrepreneurs about basic money management.

The main focus of Monopoly is on making money, spending and investing it wisely, and protecting the profits thereof. By simply playing the game, you can learn a lot about simple money management techniques. 

8. Reduces stress and boosts the immune system.

Just like many board games, Monopoly is great for stress relief. And when the body is relieved of stress, the immune system strengthens and is better able to protect the body.

9. Provides common ground to bridge generational gaps.

Spending time together as a family often proves problematic if the family unit has very old and very young members. Certain family members might not be able to relate to each other, and the younger members of the family may get bored with general chit-chat. Monopoly provides a great way for both young and old members of the family to get together and focus on the same thing. The game creates common ground and the opportunity for fun for the whole family.

10. Releases endorphins in the brain.

When you play and enjoy a game, the brain releases happy hormones called endorphins. When endorphins are released, the body enjoys a feeling of general well-being and happiness. If you are feeling blue, grab the Monopoly and get some friends or family members to play with you. It won’t be long until you are feeling better.

Kids having fun while playing Monopoly
Ben Molyneux / Shutterstock.com

11. Teaches the importance of diversifying investments (portfolio).

It’s not just kids that can learn things from Monopoly. Entrepreneurs and corporate investors also stand to learn a thing or two. Players in Monopoly that spend all of their money on a single property may quickly regret it if they lose that property. As such, Monopoly teaches players to spread their investments out, so that all their eggs aren’t in one basket. 

12. Develops emotional handling/management skills.

When playing Monopoly, it is fairly easy to get frustrated or lose your cool, especially if you start to lose. With consistent exposure to the game and both winning and losing, players learn to manage their emotions, lose with dignity, win with grace, and keep their frustrations under control.

13. Teaches the importance of calculating risks.

Risks are an important part of life, but not if they are taken recklessly. When playing Monopoly, you can take risks by first calculating the possible outcomes. Doing so teaches players the importance of calculating risks before diving straight in. 

14. The importance of building, but not fully relying on relationships.

In a game of Monopoly, you can develop decent relationships with other people, and while you can negotiate and trade with them, you cannot fully rely on them to get ahead. While you may have a good support system, at the end of the day, each player is focused on ensuring that he wins and gets ahead. Therefore you can only fully rely on yourself to put in the work and get ahead. 

15. Develops effective negotiation skills.

Because getting what you want in a game of Monopoly requires a bit of negotiation, avid and regular players soon learn to be effective, strategic negotiators. The game teaches people to have a fair approach to negotiating and to get deals that are best for themselves as well as others.

16. Teaches basic mathematics skills to children.

Children who cannot count fluently or struggle with basic adding and subtracting can learn how to count and do basic addition and subtraction during the game of Monopoly. Think about moving forward spaces – there’s counting involved. Think about receiving and paying out money – there are addition and subtraction involved. If you want your child to learn basic mathematics while having fun, think about introducing him/her to Monopoly. 

17. Keeps your brain healthy.

Illustration of cartoon of brain training
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The brain is just like every other muscle in the body. If you don’t exercise it, it will lack stamina and functionality. By playing games like Monopoly, you will be exercising your brain and keeping it fit. 

18. Develops fine motor skills.

Things such as reaching, grabbing, holding, moving, and even co-ordination rely on fine motor skills. It is typically children that need assistance with developing fine motor skills. By playing the game, children must reach for game pieces and cards, place pieces into squares on the board, pass money, and so on. All of these actions assist with developing reliable fine motor skills

Last Word

When it comes to playing Monopoly, I am convinced that it is highly beneficial. Knowing of all of these benefits, you can claim that your love of Monopoly is closely linked to just how beneficial the game is to your life (that’s what I do). Whether you are new to Monopoly or a veteran player, Monopoly is a game that will entertain for years and will not disappoint. Enjoy! 

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This article was co-authored by our team of in-house and freelance writers, and reviewed by our editors, who enjoy sharing their knowledge about their favorite games with others!

JC Franco
Editor | + posts

JC Franco serves as a New York-based editor for Gamesver. His interest for board games centers around chess, a pursuit he began in elementary school at the age of 9. Holding a Bachelor’s degree in Business from Mercyhurst University, JC brings a blend of business acumen and creative insight to his role. Beyond his editorial endeavors, he is a certified USPTA professional, imparting his knowledge in tennis to enthusiasts across the New York City Metropolitan area.