8/15/2016

Sciencebackedbraingameeasesdistraction,anxietyScienceDaily

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Sciencebackedbraingameeasesdistraction,anxiety
Date:
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Summary:

August12,2015
MichiganStateUniversity
Researchershavecreatedasurprisinglysimpleyettargetedbraingamethatreducesanxietyby
helpingpeoplefocusinanincreasinglydistractingworld.Thereareaplethoraof"braintraining"
gamesonthemarket,aresearchernoted,buttheyarehighlycontroversialandofferno
independentscientificprooftheyhelpsharpenfocus,letalonereduceanxiety.

FULLSTORY

Researchershavecreatedasimplegameinwhichpeople
identifyaspecificshapeinaseriesofshapes.Thegame
helpedparticipantsfocusandreducedanxiety.
Credit:MichiganStateUniversity

Researchershavecreatedasurprisinglysimpleyettargetedbraingamethatreduces
anxietybyhelpingpeoplefocusinanincreasinglydistractingworld.
InastudyledbyMichiganStateUniversity'sJasonMoser,anxiouscollegestudentswhocompletedavideo
gamelikeexercisethatinvolvedidentifyingshapesstayedmorefocusedandshowedlessanxiety.
AnxietydisordersarethemostcommonmentalillnessintheUnitedStates,affecting40millionadults,andthe
peaktimeforthedisordersisages1825.Whiletheresearchisthefirstscientificsteptowardaddressingthe
effectsofdistractiononanxiety,itcouldeventuallyleadtoaneverydaysolution.
"Downthelinewecouldrolloutanonlineormobilegamebasedonthisresearchthatspecificallytargets
distractionandhelpspeoplestayfocusedandfeellessanxious,"saidMoser,associateprofessorofclinical
psychology.
Inthestudy,participantswithbothlowandhighanxietycompletedafocustaskinwhichtheyidentifiedaspecific
shapeinaseriesofshapes(e.g.,aredcircleamidredsquares,diamondsandtriangles).Afterwardtheywere
givenanexercisedesignedtodistractthem(bymixingindifferentcoloredshapes),butitdidn't.
Thefocustask,Mosersaid,hadimprovedconcentrationandlessenedanxietyfortheanxiousparticipants,in
particular,evenafterthedistractionexercise.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/08/150812131452.htm

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8/15/2016

Sciencebackedbraingameeasesdistraction,anxietyScienceDaily

Thereareaplethoraof"braintraining"gamesonthemarket,Mosernoted,buttheyarehighlycontroversial
andoffernoindependentscientificprooftheyhelpsharpenfocus,letalonereduceanxiety.
"Therehavebeenotherstudiesofvideogametypeinterventionsforanxiety,"headded,"butnonehaveuseda
specificandsimplegamethattargetsdistraction."

StorySource:
TheabovepostisreprintedfrommaterialsprovidedbyMichiganStateUniversity.Note:Contentmaybe
editedforstyleandlength.

JournalReference:
1. JasonS.Moser,TimP.Moran,AndrewB.Leber.Manipulatingattentiontononemotionaldistractors
influencesstateanxiety:Aproofofconceptstudyinlowandhighanxiouscollegestudents.
BehaviorTherapy,2015DOI:10.1016/j.beth.2015.07.001

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MichiganStateUniversity."Sciencebackedbraingameeasesdistraction,anxiety."ScienceDaily.ScienceDaily,
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