The technique made people feel more relaxed, detached and in control.
Playing games on a smartphone beats stress better than a mindfulness app.
People who played a shape-fitting game, similar to Tetris, felt less tired and more energised than those who used a mindfulness app, researchers have found.
Surprisingly, the mindfulness app made people feel worse when used after work over the course of a week.
Games can be effective in reducing stress because they are:
- distracting,
- relaxing,
- involve mastering a new skill,
- and let people feel in control.
Dr Emily Collins, the study’s first author, said:
“To protect our long-term health and well-being, we need to be able to unwind and recuperate after work.
Our study suggests playing digital games can be an effective way to do this.”
The first study in the research involved 45 people who were given a tricky math test to make them stressed.
Afterwards, one group played a game for 10 minutes, while two comparison groups used the Headspace mindfulness app or a fidget spinner.
The results showed that people felt more energised after playing the game than after using the mindfulness app or fidget spinner.
The second study had 20 working professionals playing a game every day after work or using the mindfulness app.
The results showed that those playing the game felt more relaxed, detached and in control — and this improved over the week.
In comparison, the mindfulness app made people feel worse over the week.
The more people enjoyed playing the game, the better they recovered from the stress of work, the results showed.
Professor Anna Cox, study co-author, said:
“Far from feeling guilty about being absorbed by their phone, people who play such games after a stressful day at work should know they are likely to be gaining a real benefit.”
The study was published in JMIR Mental Health (Collins et al., 2019).
