In recent studies, the popular game Tetris has proven to reduce cravings induced by food, cigarettes/nicotine, and has even been used in battling addiction.

The study, published in the journal Appetite, took one hundred males (some with cravings, some without) and allowed some of them to play Tetris. The group that played the game had majorly reduced cravings.

This is because playing Tetris distracts the mind from whatever is triggering the craving, if even for a few minutes. Doing this makes getting through the craving a breeze, because you have a visual distraction that stops your mind from thinking about the craving.

One of the study authors, Jackie Andrade told Medicalexpress, “Episodes of craving normally only last a few minutes, during which time an individual is visualizing what they want and the reward it will bring. Often those feelings result in the person giving in and consuming the very thing they are trying to resist. But by playing Tetris, just in short bursts, you are preventing your brain creating those enticing images and without them the craving fades.”

Andrade also said, “It occupies the same mental process that you need for imagining the food, drink or drug that you are craving. You can’t do both at once, so the craving suffers, which is good if you want to abstain from what you crave.”

This is great news for those who suffer from food addiction, are overweight, or are trying to a few pounds. Food cravings are some of the hardest to get through, but this new method might just make it a bit easier.

So, whether you’re in it for the weight loss, quitting cigarettes, or are battling something more severe, pick up that old, rusty Gameboy and start playing! (It doesn’t necessarily have to be Tetris, by the way. Any game that fully distracts your mind will work just as well.)

Sources:

8 Weight-Loss Tips That Might Surprise You (From New Research) – PsyBlog. (n.d.). Retrieved from //www.spring.org.uk/2014/12/8-weight-loss-tips-that-might-surprise-you-from-new-research.php

Playing Tetris can curb cravings: study – NY Daily News. (n.d.). Retrieved from //www.nydailynews.com/life-style/health/playing-tetris-curb-cravings-study-article-1.1619908

A Quick ‘Tetris’ Game Can Curb Cravings for Cigarettes or Food. (n.d.). Retrieved from //mashable.com/2014/02/27/tetris-fights-cravings/#iEVRUgla1Eqa