All we ever hear anymore is how games are corrupting our youth, and should be burned. That’s why it’s nice then to work out some real science looking into the advantages that playing games provides not to only children, but our elderly citizens to boot.
A new study from North Carolina State University looked into how gaming affects the well-being and positive outlook of the elderly. The consequences, that have been published during this week’s Computers in Human Behavior, found that gaming may very well help the elderly stay positive.
The study, which consisted of 140 participants aged 63 or older, interested in three groups of folk regular gamers, occasional gamers and non-gamers. The interesting part is that 61 percent of the participants said that they played games occasionally, while 35 percent said that they played at least one time per week. Grandma is surely stepping into her weekly Wii Bowling, or regardless of the ol’ gals on the nursing home are into nowadays.
After it was all said and done, individuals who regularly or occasionally played games “reported higher levels of well-being.” Folks that didn’t play games “reported more negative emotions and an inclination towards higher levels of depression.”
Dr. Jason Allaire, lead author of the study, had this to assert on it:
“The research published here means that there a link between gaming and higher well-being and emotional functioning. We’re currently planning studies to make a decision whether playing digital games actually improves mental health in older adults. ”
The study isn’t saying that individuals, including the elderly, need games of their lives to stay happy. There are many alternative routes to guide a satisfying life. Games are only among the many options we now have in today’s modern world to make us happy.
[h/t: CNET]
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