Keeping our minds active over the years is crucial, especially when we get older. That’s because even our mental health can deteriorate over time if we don’t take good care of it. Tetris is one of those classic games that have become iconic and for good reasons.
Playing Tetris is not only extremely fun. It can also boost our well-being, something that a lot of people are not aware of. That’s because Tetris challenges you to figure out the right way of shaping geometrical figures, as well as how to place them in a row.
Enhancing cognitive abilities:
Tetris is a game that requires quick thinking, spatial awareness, as well as hand-eye coordination. If you regularly play Tetris, it can help improve those cognitive skills, including reaction time and problem-solving abilities. In other words, playing Tetris long enough can actually make you more intelligent.
Mood improvement:
Dopamine is the hormone that our body releases when we experience an activity that makes us feel pleasure. If enough dopamine is released, we obviously experience a pleasant sensation, and playing games such as Tetris can be a good way of improving our mood. The sense of accomplishment from completing levels or reaching high scores in Tetris can obviously be enough to go through a very pleasant feeling.
Reducing stress
Stress is one of the major problems in our society, along with depression, anxiety, and insomnia. While playing Tetris, you can definitely and easily divert from stressful thoughts and situations. Once you are focused enough on playing the game, relaxation can kick in, and anxiety can go away.
Stress can cause headaches and sweat, and it can even affect our immune system. In other words, we should never neglect the damage stress can give us, even though a lot of people are tempted to treat the condition like it’s nothing.
Better focus
Since Tetris requires permanent attention and concentration, it’s easy to conclude that playing this game can help improve focus and attention span if we play it long enough. Furthermore, better focus can translate to other areas of our lives and thus improve productivity and task performance.
Prevention of PTSD flashbacks
There are studies suggesting that playing Tetris enough and right after a traumatic event can reduce the intensity and frequency of intrusive memories that are associated with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). If you’re wondering what’s the logic behind this, the answer is simple: playing Tetris may interfere with the ability of the brain to consolidate traumatic memories.
For those unaware, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental health condition that’s caused by a terrifying event. You can either experience or witness that specific event. Among the list of symptoms, we can see nightmares, flashbacks, and severe anxiety, as well as trouble concentrating or insomnia.
However, we must keep in mind that playing Tetris shouldn’t be perceived as a substitute for professional mental health treatment, but it can certainly be a fun activity and beneficial addition if you have a self-care routine.
Feel free to tell us in the comment section about your own perception of the game of Tetris and your experiences with playing it!
