The BBC reports on how playing the computer puzzle game Tetris can help reduce the effects of traumatic stress.
Volunteers were exposed to distressing images, with some given the game to play 30 minutes later, the PLoS One journal reported.
Players had fewer “flashbacks”, perhaps because it helped disrupt the laying down of memories, said the scientists.
It is hoped the study could aid the development of new strategies for minimising the impact of trauma. Link to continue reading
Source: BBC
Emily A. Holmes, Ella L. James, Thomas Coode-Bate, Catherine Deeprose (2009). Can Playing the Computer Game “Tetris” Reduce the Build-Up of Flashbacks for Trauma? A Proposal from Cognitive Science. PLoS ONE, 4 (1) DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0004153 (open access).
Image Credit: Wikemedia Commons
