PopCap conducted a pilot study in January to see if playing games could help beat cravings by distracting the players from snacks whilst also being mood uplifting. Though some participants didn’t stay the course, the research found great results from those that did reporting a whopping 100% success in beating cravings and lifting mood.
Leading UK dietician, Nigel Denby, who conducted the research, commented: “While trial results were scientifically inconclusive due to a low number of participants completing the month-long programme, there were some interesting findings. For those who finished the trial, we saw that on all occasions Bejeweled Twist was used, it prevented eating due to a craving, with participants reporting forgetting about their cravings whilst playing the game.”
“In addition to forgetting about cravings, these respondents also reported that their mood improved or changed following gameplay. Mood is a major cravings trigger for many dieters, with stress at work, anger, or sadness commonly reported as flashpoints. Distraction is a well established method to help people overcome stress related food cravings.”
PopCap spokesperson Cathy Orr commented on the participants with, “they found casual gaming more compelling a distraction than watching TV! I suppose that’s because it’s natural to sit in front of the TV with snacks, but try topping your highest Bejeweled Twist score while fumbling with a bag of crisps!”
Whilst I’m certainly sceptical about gaming equalling weight loss, I was already convinced that distraction plays a great part towards breaking out of the ‘grazing junk food’ problem that many of us have whilst parked in front of the TV. Like Cathy says, it’s difficult to break out the crisps if you’re fully occupied with an engaging game.
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