Adult Video Game Players May be Less Healthy Physically, Mentally
August 24th, 2009 |
A GoodTherapy.org News Headline
Issues with rising obesity rates in combination with a growing percentage of people who report feelings of depression and anxiety have been considerable causes for concern in recent years, and analyzing popular trends and shifts in lifestyles may hold the key to understanding how and why the prevalence of basic physical and mental health concerns are changing. Seeking to examine the links between different media usage types and typical physical and mental health issues, the Centers for Disease Control along with two university teams have conducted a study with telling results. Some of the most striking data to emerge from the report has been the associations between adult video game playing and symptoms of physical and mental concerns; females who played video games reported higher rates of depression and poorer physical health, while males exhibited an increase in BMI in groups that participated in gaming. Fostering more balanced lifestyles may lead to an enjoyment of both leisure and personal prosperity.
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5 comments so far
I think I am still very old school. I still love going out to play tennis than play it on Wi. I do believe to play a game one needs to be closeted and any break is not a welcome thing in the virtual world. I would definitely get depressed if I sat in one position in one room all day long.
I have also read recently that this onslaught of gaming in the male society is a huge reason why college acceptance and attendance rates among males have been declining and why more and more women are surpassing their male friends while making it to the top.
I don’t want to be steered away from my video games. Games are cheap and easy to maintain, good fun and always there when you want them to be. You can’t say the same about friends or family. Or pizza.
Games help me relax how I want to. No one fusses about how much TV everyone else is watching while I’m playing. What’s the big difference? Both are sedentary leisure pastimes. At least gaming requires your brain to be firing on all cylinders.
A little gaming hurt noone. I dont know that many gaming addicts anyway. All my friends are gamers but not the addicted kind. :)