Wednesday, January 7, 2009

Tetris Helps Trauma


Everyone loves Tetris, the crazy puzzle game that amuses for hours. But aside from entertaining millions, the game actually helps reduce the effects of traumatic stress. 

A group of UK researchers found the game helps disrupt stressful memories. For the study, volunteers watched a series of stressful images. After viewing the images some volunteers played Tetris for 30 minutes. Those who played the game had lower stress levels compared to those who did not play the game. 

Although playing Tetris after a traumatic event may not be practical, scientists hope the study will contribute to other strategies for dealing with traumatic stress. And for now, people who spend hours playing the game can feel a little more relaxed. 

Originally reported by the BBC. Picture from  Tetris. 

2 comments:

Unknown said...

People have always found my addiction to tetris weird. Now I can say that I use it as a stress buster!

Hilarywho said...

I haven't played a game of Tetris in a long time, but I remember it being very calming - a sort of medative state.