Feeling stressed at work? Playing video games at breaks may make you feel better

Do you feel stressed at work? Worry not, playing video games might help you, say scientists according to whom such activities during breaks can help employees in recharging themselves.

Cognitive fatigue related to stress, frustration, anxiety are really common in people at work. Those who are in in safely critical fields like air traffic control and health care suffer greater risk of cognitive fatigue and this could lead to errors.The researchers were told the amount of of time that people spent on their smartphones and tablets, they wanted to examine whether to combat stress at workplace, video games were an effective way or not.

A computer-based task was used by researchers from University of Central Florida in the US in order to induce cognitive fatigue in 66 participants and then the participants were given a five minute rest break. The participants either played a video game, took part in a guided relaxation activity or remained quiet in a room withouit the use of phone or computer.

The participants were then asked about their experience. The one who sat in a room quietly reported they felt less engaged with work and experienced worry as a result, while those who participated in the guided relaxation activity saw reductions in negative affect and distress. Only video game players reported that they felt better after their session of playing.