Video games can reduce stress: Research

New Delhi| A research has revealed that if you are also struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder, then video games can help you a lot.
Research published in BMC Medicine states that video games are a very effective solution for mental health. It stops useless things coming to mind. Researchers at Sweden’s Uppsala University said it could also be used safely by patients.

In post-traumatic stress, the person gets nostalgia along with excessive stress, sleep problems, concentration problems. The team tested it in 64 participants for this. While a team was left with nostalgia, the people of the inner team were asked to play a video game called Tetris, while the people of the inner team were asked to listen to the radio.

At the center of the Tetris is the concept of mantle rotation. When a person looks at an object from an angle, he can imagine what that object will look like, if it can be seen in a different way. Emily Holmes, a professor at Uppsala University, said only one guided treatment session showed positive effects. This shows that playing video games can prevent the nostalgia within the person from coming to mind.

Holmes said that if stress can be reduced with an everyday device like video gaming, it can be an accessible way to help many people. Participants received an average of 15 flashbacks each week at the beginning of the research. The video game group averaged just one flashback a week later, while the control group had five flashbacks each week. Furthermore its effects continued six months later and the gaming group also experienced a significant reduction in all symptoms. Holmes said it was surprising that the treatment method was so effective and the improvement in symptoms persisted for six months.