Video Games and Aggression: How Trustworthy Is the Research?
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"The Effect of Video Game Competition and Violence on Aggressive Behavior" by Adachi and Willoughby (2011) is one of the most frequently cited studies in the literature on video game violence. Its credibility can be partially attributed to the fact that it is published by the American Psychological Association (APA), a highly reputable organization in the field of psychology.
The researchers picked video games with similar levels of difficulty and speed but varying degrees of violence and competitiveness. These four metrics were evaluated in a pilot study in which participants briefly played each game and rated them on a seven-point scale. The researchers then conducted two experiments:
- **Experiment 1:** The violent game chosen was Conan, an action game involving combat with swords and axes, while the nonviolent game was Fuel, a racing game. Both games were considered similarly competitive based on the pilot study. Participants were randomly assigned to play either Conan or Fuel. The experiment aimed to test whether violent content alone would lead to greater aggression after gameplay. The findings showed no significant differences in aggressive behavior between players of the violent and nonviolent games. However, the main concern with this finding is in its measure. The aggression was measured by having participants choose the amount and spiciness of hot sauce to give to another person who dislikes spicy food. A measure that does not fully capture the complexity of what aggressive behavior is.
- **Experiment 2:** They selected 4 games: Mortal Kombat vs DC Universe (Violent and competitive), Left 4 Dead 2 (Violent but less competitive), Fuel (Nonviolent and competitive), and Marble Blast Ultra (Nonviolent and less competitive). The researchers found that competitiveness in video games, rather than violent content, significantly increased "aggressive" behavior. They measured it by having participants compete in a reaction-time button-press game against an opponent. When a player lost a round, the winner had control over the intensity and duration of an unpleasant noise blast delivered to the loser. The participant’s choice of how loud and how long to set the noise blast served as a proxy for aggressive behavior. Blasting the noise could indicate other motivations besides aggression, such as opponent intimidation to win the game, compliance with experimental expectations, or could have to do with the impulse management of the participant. Once again, the measure fails to reflect the multifaceted nature of aggression.
Research papers like these shape the opinions of a significant portion of the public regarding the link between video games and violence, which raises the important question of how well such studies capture the true complexity of aggression and whether their findings should be featured in such reputable journals and directly influence public perception.
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The Art of Gratitude
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What distinguishes the person who finds peace amidst the stormiest seas from the one who feels restless while drowning in countless blessings? A lot of religious traditions and cultures attribute this difference to the power of gratitude. Gratitude that goes beyond simply counting our blessings to recognize the wisdom in our turbulent paths.
In psychotherapy, patients reported significantly better mental health following gratitude interventions compared to groups in the expressive and control conditions [1]. The most important reward pathway in the brain is the mesolimbic system. The latter is stimulated when individuals express gratitude leading to a release in dopamine [2]. In pursuit of more dopamine, more expressions of gratitude are encouraged leading to a more positive outlook on life. Furthermore, writing down what you're grateful for can lead to healthier eating habits [3] and overall goal-directed behavior helping one dodge crippling anxiety during disaster.
Research also shows that a grateful heart is a healthier heart [4]. By keeping gratitude journals for 8 weeks, patients diagnosed with asymptomatic heart failure reported better mood, higher quality sleep, and less inflammation. This could be explained by the activation of the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS). During gratitude practice, PNS puts the body in a "rest and digest" state which counteracts stress. This relaxation supports bodily functions such as digestion, immune response, and sleep allowing for improved physical health.
When choosing gratitude everyday we transform our perspective from one of scarcity to abundance. When we focus on what we are grateful for, we unlock doors to happiness, health, and fulfillment. So today: take a moment to reflect on your blessings. Write them down, share them with others, and let that gratitude flow through you.
[1] Wong, Y. J., Owen, J., Gabana, N. T., Brown, J. W., McInnis, S., Toth, P., & Gilman, L. (2016). Does gratitude writing improve the mental health of psychotherapy clients? Evidence from a randomized controlled trial. Psychotherapy Research, 28(2), 192–202. https://doi.org/10.1080/10503307.2016.1169332
[2] Zahn R, Moll J, Paiva M, Garrido G, Krueger F, Huey ED, Grafman J. The neural basis of human social values: evidence from functional MRI. Cereb Cortex. 2009 Feb;19(2):276-83. doi: 10.1093/cercor/bhn080. Epub 2008 May 22. PMID: 18502730; PMCID: PMC2733324.
[3] Megan M. Fritz, Christina N. Armenta, Lisa C. Walsh, Sonja Lyubomirsky, Gratitude facilitates healthy eating behavior in adolescents and young adults, Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, Volume 81, 2019, Pages 4-14, ISSN 0022-1031, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jesp.2018.08.011.
[4] American Psychological Association. (2015, April 9). A grateful heart is a healthier heart [Press release]. https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2015/04/grateful-heart
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The Appeal of Fear in Media
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The growing sales of horror games such as the Resident Evil franchise, and the success of horror shows and movies indicate the appeal of the genre. The reasons behind this appeal have been investigated through many studies. First, we must distinguish between the terms “horror” and “terror”, which tend to be erroneously used interchangeably. According to Dani Cavallaro, horror is the fear linked to visible disruptions of the natural order, sudden appearances, and identifiable objects. Horror causes intense physical reactions and provides us with surprise and shock. On the other hand, terror is the fear of the unknown. It is the feelings of tension and unease proceeding a revelation [1].
“The difference between Terror and Horror is the difference between awful apprehension and sickening realization: between the smell of death and stumbling against a corpse… Terror thus creates an intangible atmosphere of spiritual psychic dread… Horror resorts to a cruder presentation of the macabre” [2].
While playing horror games or watching horror movies, we constantly oscillate between terror and horror. One is willing to endure the intense fear (horror) because of its less subtle modulations (terror). In fact, a study done by the Institute of Scientific and Industrial Research at Osaka University reveals that players were more likely to experience intense fear when they were in a suspense state and then faced a surprising appearance [3]. From a biological perspective, once the human brain detects a potential threat, dopamine is released into the body, and once that threat is identified as false, the body feels pleasure and the person wants to repeat this cycle by seeking scary content [4].
Although one can aim for a long psychological experience by having a good combination of terror and horror, what causes terror and unease is individual and varies from one person to another. Individual characteristics, traumas, and phobias must be taken into consideration to assess the level of fear and manipulate future gameplay accordingly.
[1] D. Cavallaro, The Gothic Vision: Three Centuries of Horror, Terror and Fear. New York: Bloomsbury Publishing, 2002.
[2] Varma, D. P. (1988) The Gothic Flame, Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press. Vico, G. [1725] (1968) The New Science, trans. T. Goddard and M. H. Fisch, Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press.
[3] V. Vachiratamporn, R. Legaspi, K. Moriyama and M. Numao, "Towards the Design of Affective Survival Horror Games: An Investigation on Player Affect," 2013 Humaine Association Conference on Affective Computing and Intelligent Interaction, 2013, pp. 576-581, doi: 10.1007/s12193-014-0153-4
[4] A. Damasio, Descartes error: emotion, reason and the human brain. New York: Avon Books, 1994.
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