While some think games can be somewhat of a waste of time, it turns out playing Tetris for as little as three minutes a day can actually stunt your cravings for food, smoking, drugs, sex, drinking, coffee and sleep.
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“This is the first demonstration that cognitive interference can be used outside the lab to reduce cravings for substances and activities other than eating”, she said in a statement. The benefits of playing the block-shifting puzzle game remained constant over the seven-day study period.
Additionally, they encouraged the students to report any cravings they might be feeling between text message promptings and in all cases they reported what they were craving and just how much they wanted it on a scale between zero and 100.
During the study, participants were prompted to play the video game called Tetris at random intervals during the day and were monitored for levels of craving. In the texts, participants were asked if they were experiencing any cravings.
As for substances classified as drugs such as coffee, cigarettes, wine and beer, this accounted for 21% of the cravings reported. “Playing a visually interesting game like Tetris occupies the mental processes that support that imagery; it is hard to imagine something vividly and play Tetris at the same time”.
The researchers said that while their findings show that playing games such as Tetris could prove to be a useful tool for helping people control their cravings, further research and testing are needed, especially for those addicted to drugs.
“Playing Tetris decreased craving strength for drugs, food, and activities from 70 percent to 56 percent”, said Andrade.
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Co-author Jon May added the positive impact on Tetris lasted for the entire week of the study and could be seen across all levels of cravings, including sex, drugs, alcohol and other miscellaneous categories.
