Switched has a new home! Huffpost Tech.

Click here to visit the new home of Switched!

Hot on HuffPost Tech:

See More Stories
AOL Tech

Playing 'Tetris' May Be Good for Your Health

by Peter Mychalcewycz on January 8, 2009 at 12:23 PM


Next time your parents tell you that video games are a waste of time, tell them that Oxford University disagrees!

The revered British university has concluded that playing 'Tetris' after a traumatic event may reduce the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder. The premise is a simple one: Our brains simply cannot process too many things at once. That said, a brain focusing on completing a colorful, moving puzzle is less likely to manufacture or retain images of a traumatic event because, well, it's busy.

40 healthy volunteers were shown graphic images after which 20 of them played 'Tetris' for ten minutes. The 20 that played the game had significantly fewer flashbacks over time than the 20 that did not play.

This was an experiment and has not been authorized as a formal treatment. However, it may be a solid foundation for understanding how the mind retains stressful memories, and a new reason to get lost in a video game (for a while). [From: Telegraph.co.uk]

Tags: health, science, tetris

Comments

1

HuffPost AOL Social News Most Popular