Is Chess a placebo that prolongs life by reducing stress?

Hello Indian Chess Philosopher Manavendra.

Well, there are several sides to this coin.

First, as we are all addicted to chess, -I am anyway- "getting the shot" makes you relaxed an relieves the stress. Just one more shot...

Yes we are all addicted, because, the main goal has mostly not been in understanding chess per se, but in investigating a number of theoretical issues related to human information processing, expertise and thinking.

Second, yes, chess is some kind of a placebo use of the brain. It's supposed to be used for other things than this.

Chess is some kind of a placebo? Yes, when we take the human mind to be a computing machine or a physical symbols system. However, many may strongly opposed the idea that human mentality is essentially computing. This is not surprising because the chess tradition as a whole provides a psychological micro world. Computational concepts lose something essential about human mentality, and consequently, the power of computational concepts is too low to express all the essential aspects of human mentality.

Fifth, on the other hand my endurance and health rapidly degrade, all of us simply remain clumsy mortals, we all die anyway.

Wouldn't it make us feel better, if fellow mortals engraved 0-1# to Chess players graves. RIP.

Sixth, in my life I have yet to find something else that is quite as rewarding and entertaining as chess... it provides humongous mountains of fun and giggling.

Yes, Agreed.

Trysts...If you recall, manavendra made a memorable contribution to one of your threads. He said we could know him best by what he didn't say. Then, he disappeared. Left us wondering, "What didn't he say now?"

 I do recall that, MyCows! He also is the only alien known to communicate without the use of crop circles:)

all I know is internet blitz and bullet chess are freaking drugs. DRUGS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Then again, I find that many studies are dementia.

Many studies are in fact, the short-term syndrome of delirium (often lasting days to weeks) which can easily be confused with dementia. And yes, Chess helps!

an uncredited quote from richard dawkin's god delusion ?

DRUGS is the most lethal blunder, we all should avoid at every cost. Live to play :)