It’s Monday, Are You Stressed? Relax with a Unique Video Game

Hey, it’s Monday…it’s stressful…YOU need a stress reliever! Video Games to the Rescue (of course).

Researchers have discovered that a video simple game asking the player to find the smiling face on the computer screen helps to reduce stress.

Researchers at McGill University in Montreal say that tests have shown that finding a smiling face in a video game will help reduce stress and boost confidence in about 10 minutes. (A mini-game stress reliever.)

The McGill research team has developed the MindHabits Trainer game, in which one exercise shows a grid of faces, with 15 of them frowning and one smiling. The player must find the smiling face as quickly as possible.

As the Reuters’article, Online game smiles seen vanquishing the blues, states:

In a field test, a sample group of telemarketers was asked to play the game everyday for a week just before their shift. A control group spent five to 10 minutes playing another game, without smiling faces, before their shift started.

At the end of the week, the group that played the “find the smile” exercise reported feeling less stressed, had higher self esteem, made more sales, and were rated as being more confident in their phone calls. Most remarkably, said Balwin, they had 17 percent lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol.

Findings from the study appear in the October issue of the American Psychological Association’s Journal of Personality and Social Psychology

Learn more, visit the MindHabits web site.

A great way to open a training session or begin an online training module…with a stress reliever icebreaker. Or consider putting more smiling faces into the materials you use to deliver learning events (online and face-to-face)…as Mr. Roarke used to say “Smiles everyone, smiles.”

Happy Monday:)
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