New research shows that playing Tetris for as little as three minutes can reduce cravings for drugs, food and activities—such as sex or sleep—by about one fifth.
In the first study of its kind conducted in everyday environments rather than a laboratory, researchers monitored participants’ cravings throughout the day and randomly prompted them to play the block‑shifting puzzle game Tetris. The study found that a brief bout of play weakened cravings across a range of targets and that the effect persisted across the one‑week observation period.
Psychologists from Plymouth University and Queensland University of Technology used ecological momentary assessment to capture real‑time reports of craving and to test whether visual cognitive interference from a game could disrupt the mental imagery that fuels desire. Their findings, to be published in Addictive Behaviors, suggest that a short, engaging visual task can serve as a simple tool to manage everyday urges.
How the study was carried out
Thirty‑one undergraduate volunteers aged 18–27 carried iPods for seven days and received seven text prompts each day asking about current cravings. Participants were asked to report the target of any craving, rate craving strength on a 0–100 scale, indicate whether they had given in to the craving, and note if they were under the influence of alcohol. Fifteen participants were randomly assigned to the intervention: when prompted they played Tetris on the iPod for three minutes and then reported craving levels again. The remaining 16 participants served as a monitoring‑only control group to measure baseline craving incidence and intensity across the week.
Cravings were reported on roughly 30% of prompts. Food and non‑alcoholic drink cravings were most common, accounting for nearly two‑thirds of reported episodes. About 21% of cravings were for substances classed as drugs (including caffeine, cigarettes, and alcoholic drinks), while 16% involved activities such as sleeping, playing video games, socialising, or sex. On average, food cravings tended to be slightly weaker than cravings for substances or activities.
Key findings
Playing Tetris produced a consistent reduction in craving strength across the week and across all craving types. On average, cravings decreased from 70% to 56% in strength after a three‑minute game, representing a mean reduction of 13.9 percentage points (effect size f2 = 0.11). Participants played the game about 40 times on average during the study, and the craving‑reducing effect did not diminish with repeated use, indicating that the benefit was not merely due to novelty.
Professor Jackie Andrade of the School of Psychology and the Cognition Institute at Plymouth University explained the likely mechanism: craving often depends on vivid mental imagery of consuming a substance or engaging in an activity. A visually engaging task like Tetris occupies the same visuospatial processing systems used for that imagery, making it difficult to hold vivid craving images in mind while playing the game.
Professor Jon May, also of Plymouth University, emphasised that the effect’s stability over repeated sessions is important for potential real‑world use. Because the impact did not fade as participants became familiar with the task, Tetris could serve as a practical, low‑cost support tool to help people manage cravings in everyday life and over longer time periods.
Source: Andrew Merrington – University of Plymouth
Image Source: The image is credited University of Plymouth
Original Research: Abstract for “Playing Tetris decreases drug and other cravings in real world settings” by Jessica Skorka‑Brown, Jackie Andrade, Ben Whalley, and Jon May in Addictive Behaviors. Published online July 26 2015; doi:10.1016/j.addbeh.2015.07.020
Abstract
Playing Tetris decreases drug and other cravings in real world settings
Most prior craving research has been laboratory‑based and focused on food. This study extends those findings into natural settings and examines cravings for drugs and activities as well as food. Using ecological momentary assessment, 31 undergraduate participants reported craving targets and intensity multiple times per day over one week. Those assigned to the intervention played Tetris for three minutes after reporting a craving; controls continued monitoring only. Playing Tetris reduced craving strength for substances (alcohol, nicotine, caffeine), for food and drink, and for activities (such as sex, exercise, and gaming), with a mean reduction of 13.9 percentage points. The effect was consistent across the week, demonstrating that brief visual cognitive interference can be used outside the laboratory to lower cravings for a wide range of targets.
“Psychological Effect of an Analogue Traumatic Event Reduced by Sleep Deprivation” by Kate Porcheret, PhD; Emily A. Holmes, PhD; Guy M. Goodwin, FMedSci; Russell G. Foster, PhD; and Katharina Wulff, PhD in Sleep. Published online July 1 2015 doi:10.5665/sleep.4802