The next time you feel like traipsing to the fridge for a midnight snack, play Tetris instead.
Psychologists from the Plymouth University and The University of Queensland found out that playing Tetris have reduced cravings strength by 56 to 70 percent, as told by The Market Business. Playing the game for three minutes is said to have diminished cravings for other irrational desires such as cigarettes, alcohol, coffee, lust, sleeping, and other activities.
"The impact of Tetris on craving was consistent across the week and on all craving types. People played the game 40 times on average, but the effect did not seem to wear off. This finding is potentially important because an intervention that worked solely because it was novel and unusual would have diminishing benefits over time as participants became familiar with it," explains Professor Jon May from Plymouth University.
The study was the first of its kind to observe and document subjects in a natural setting as opposed to a laboratory. Thirty-one participants aged 18-27 were prompted to report via a text alert, seven times a day, on cravings they are feeling. Moreover, if cravings were to happen at different times, they were encouraged to inform the researchers independently. Out of the 31 subjects, 15 were asked to play Tetris on an iPod for three minutes and then asked to report the level of their craving. Cravings for substances such as drugs, including coffee, cigarettes, wine and beer account for 20 percent of cravings recorded. Sixteen percent were for miscellaneous activities such as sleeping, playing video games, socialising with friends and sexual intercourse and 30 percent of cravings are food or alcohol-related.
"Playing Tetris decreased craving strength for drugs, food, and activities from 70 percent to 56 percent. This is the first demonstration that cognitive interference can be used outside the lab to reduce cravings for substances and activities other than eating," says Professor Jackie Andrade, from the School of Psychology and the Cognition Institute at Plymouth University as cited by Science Daily. "We think the Tetris effect happens because craving involves imagining the experience of consuming a particular substance or indulging in a particular activity. 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," Andrade adds.
Another study reported by a University of Cambridge research team last July highlights the positive impact of playing Tetris. While it is known that the memory of a traumatic event such as a car crash can easily remain permanent in the victim's mind in a matter of hours, playing Tetris immediately after such an event can reduce the number of flashbacks a victim experiences. Fifty-two participants aged 18-51 were the subjects of the study.