A recent study from the London School of Economics examined how Pokémon GO influenced the depressive tendencies of the players. As the game was released at different times in various regions, the study was able to compare the amount of research related to depression in areas that had access to the game and areas that did not.
What emerged was that, in the regions where Pokémon GO was available, there were fewer searches for terms related to depression such as “depression”, “stress” and “anxiety”, suggesting that “location-based mobile games may decrease the prevalence of local rates of depression”. The effect did not appear to have been permanent, as the study noted that the effects, while significant, were short-term.
The study isn’t trying to state that play Pokémon GO cure depression. “In the paper, the authors are keen to emphasize that their findings refer only to those suffering from non-clinical forms of mild depression and not those suffering from chronic or severe depressive disorders.”
However, the study believes that the reason Pokémon GO caused fewer depression-related research is that it and other location-based video games. “encourage physical activity outdoors, face-to-face socialization and exposure to nature. ”All things that tend to make people happier.
The study claims its findings highlight that games like Pokémon GO deliver an opportunity for mental health improvement and which, due to their relatively low cost and playable accessibility, can be a useful tool for those seeking to promote health improvement practices.
Again, it’s important to point out that the study doesn’t argue that going for a walk can cure clinical depression. He just noted that Pokémon GO prompts players to get out into nature, socialize face-to-face, and get light exercise, all of which can help alleviate the symptoms of mild depression.
Pokémon GO, from time to time, however, also creates some too many distractions: policemen have been fired for playing with the app instead of foiling a robbery.
#Pokémon #good #tool #treating #mild #depression #study