There's a link between Tetris and food cravings? Recent scientific research has indeed shown a connection between the longstanding, popular game and hunger. But how?! Keep reading below to find out more.
Tetris and Food Cravings...Who Knew!?
There’s more to the classic game of Tetris than simply passing time by. Scientists have justified — yes proven — that tetris can help curb food cravings and other activity or drug-related addictions. Given that the mind is where most addictions take root, it makes logical sense that keeping it occupied can have downplay cravings. But who would’ve expected fighting food addictions, which is usually a grudging, daunting, and seemingly endless task, to be so fun!
Led by researchers in Australia and Great Britain, a new study published this month explained that food craving is considered a substance addiction, leading our brain to go into cognitive-emotional states involving sensory imagery. In other words, when we feel the crave for foods like chocolate, cakes, or french fries, we have already fed our brains heaps of images of that food — or of us indulging in that food. These imagery have a strong pulling effect on us to get the food and actually enjoy it outside the mental realm and on a physical level.
In fact, it’s already been proven in a laboratory setting that cravings can be suppressed using a memory load to stop the imagery. From these results, scientists have determined that visual interventions can indeed help control food cravings. And what a funner way to feed the brain continuous images than to play a game of tetris? It’s easily accessible and very engaging with fun-colored blocks and challenging levels.
A test conducted revealed that playing tetris for three minutes decreased cravings by 13.9 percent — that’s nearly one-fifth! And what’s more, the impact of Tetris on curbing food cravings did not show any weakening throughout time, which indicates that the game is engaging enough to control cravings, even if the game itself is no longer new. The researchers state that Tetris could be used as a support tool in this way, over extended time periods. It’s the first time this research generalizes to cravings for addictive substances in a nearly holistic way.
Looks like this is a case where modern science is offering a healthy way to conquer food cravings for those trying out new diets or looking to limit food intake — with a simple game of Tetris and the power of your thumbs! We can definitely see people enjoying a cold smoothie and a raw fruit bar while hitching up to the game’s next level.
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