It can be easy to let yourself become overwhelmed by worries during these turbulent times but a new study says that there is a very simple (and fun) way to ease your worried soul. What is this wonder, you ask.
A new research from the University of California shows that playing a few rounds of Tetris has a remarkable effect on our mental health.
Psychologist Kate Sweeny led the research by studying the game’s effects within the university’s student population. During times of immense stress (think of final exams, future careers, finding a job) Sweeny instructed the students to play the game before she then measured their relative levels of perceived anxiety.
Guess what: Her research shows that by playing Tetris, overworked individuals often experienced a significant reduction in stress and anxiety and an influx in positive emotions.
While most video games offer similar kinds of distraction and rather increase stress levels, Tetris seems to offer the perfect balance of challenge and accessibility; it’s difficult enough to keep us engaged, but simple enough to allow players to stay calm.
