Would it shock you to find out that if you ask someone how much they are craving something, distract them with a fun game, and then re-ask how much they are craving something, they will tend to say they are craving it less? Sure enough, here’s a graph showing the average strength of the cravings reported by participants in the Tetris group throughout the week, before and after playing: Got it? If they were craving anything, they reported the strength of the craving, then played Tetris, then re-reported the craving strength. After 3 min, participants re-stated their craving strength for the same item, on the same 0–100 point scale. Participants played Tetris even if they had reported no craving. In the Tetris condition, participants completed the same questionnaire and in addition then played Tetris for 3 min, manipulating coloured basic shapes to form rows that would then disappear allowing for game play to continue if the screen became full, a new game started. As you’ll see, there are plenty of other, even bigger reasons.Īnyway - those in the Tetris group played Tetris: That alone would be a reason to be skeptical of this study. It’s worth pointing out that this is a small sample size, and that effects measured over the course of a week really can’t tell us anything. The control group - and this will be key - “served to show how craving varied during the study week, allowing us to test if playing Tetris ultimately reduced the tendency to experience cravings or weakened cravings that did occur.” Over the course of a week, everyone got regular text-message reminders to fill out a questionnaire about whether they were craving anything at the moment, from food to alcohol to sex, how intense that craving was on a 0-100 scale, and whether they had indulged previously reported cravings. Here’s what really happened: The researchers, from Plymouth and Queensland University of Technology, divvied up a group of 31 students: 16 were in the control group, 15 in the Tetris group. But it’s a useful example of how bad science spreads these days. In reality, the study proved nothing of the sort. Just about everyone, it seems, claimed that a new study showed Tetris can help curb these sorts of urges. I’m only picking on these outlets because they’re big ones. Vocativ: “Playing Tetris Can Ease Addictions to Sex, Drugs And Food”īreitBart: “ STUDY: PLAYING TETRIS HELPS PREVENT ADDICTIVE CRAVINGS”įusion: “Study finds that Tetris can curb addictive urges - like eating and having sex” : “ Playing Tetris a few times a day for three minute increments can reduce cravings by up to 20 per cent” The press release had the desired effect, with many outlets taking the bait: The release led off: “Playing Tetris for as little as three minutes at a time can weaken cravings for drugs, food and activities such as sex and sleeping by approximately one fifth, according to new research published this week.” Wouldn’t it be great if video games, particularly fun, excellent ones like Tetris, could reduce unwanted cravings, and perhaps even help fight serious addictions? Six days ago, Plymouth University published a press release announcing a study in Addictive Behavior purportedly showing just that.
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