Cravings in real world settings

Cravings and Their Impact

Cravings can drive individuals insane, especially when they are difficult to manage. Cravings are thought to impact certain groups of people more than others. Pregnant women, youngsters, and those who are depressed are among those who are deeply influenced by their desires. Craving, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), is a condition of substance or activity dependence. Many studies have been undertaken on this issue, with some yielding impressive results. Jessica Skorka-Brown and her colleagues conducted research that indicated how playing Tetris helped reduce drug and urges addiction in real life.

The Study and its Findings

The study population included thirty-one people, seven of whom were men. The population got divided into two groups for purposes of substantiating the research hypothesis. Fifteen people were given iPhones with Tetris installed in them, while sixteen fellows were just for the control experiment purposes. After the one week of studying, a reasonable variance could be noted between the two groups. After the study period, it got pointed out that the people with Tetris used their iPods and played the game at an average of 40.2 times while the control group just managed a mean of 39 times. A conclusion from the research highlighted that when one played Tetris for averagely three minutes, the strength to crave for addictions gets lowered by 13.9% which equates to a fifth.

The Mechanism of Tetris and Addiction

Tetris is a video game started in Russia in the year 1984. It entails stacking of polygons that are not in regular form into rows. The idea of the researchers is that the video fantasy created by playing the game would distract one from concentrating on satisfying addictive cravings. The study highlights that the video game triggers two crucial systems in the brain. The two are the visual and spatial systems that both get utilized during a fantasy when craving. Playing Tetris enables these two systems to get distracted for an extended period thus lowering the strength of the desires.

Repetition in Altering Cravings

The study also reveals that it is the first time that it got demonstrated that repeated use of visual cognitive interference in fields can lower addictions for substances and actions apart from food. Using the same scale employed by Jessica Skorka-Brown and fellow researchers, Skorka conducted a similar study in the laboratory in 2014 and obtained results in the same range. Therefore, it is possible to conclude that engaging the working memory both in the lab and in the field aids in altering the cravings.

Implications and Conclusion

Addictions to drugs, substances, and unhealthy activities usually result to unpleasant endings. In some cases, health disorders and death are the results of allowing cravings to control us. The research on the impact of Tetris on the management of the things one craves for is crucial. It outlines the ability of this video game to reduce the strength of addictions. It is also important to acknowledge that the study does not restrict itself to this Russian video game. It got concluded that it is the repeated interference with visual cognitive that makes it work. Therefore, any method that would achieve this objective might as well be successful.

Reference

Skorka-Brown, J., Andrade, J., Whalley, B., & May, J. (2015). Playing Tetris decreases drug and other cravings in real world settings. Addictive Behaviors 51, 165-170.