Video games literally cause part of your brain to shrink, according to a neuroimaging study out of Canada.
Adults who played just 90 hours of popular shooting games like Call of Duty had a loss of brain cells in the hippocampus, a part of the brain responsible for memory and emotional responses.
Not surprisingly, the reward and habit forming area of the brain (caudate nucleus) was stimulated by the gaming.
The problem with this is that when the hippocampus is weakened, it seems to put people at risk for brain diseases and emotional problems, such as depression, schizophrenia, PTSD, and Alzheimer’s disease. We have the strongest memory for things that have strong emotional experiences attached to them: When we have a very fearful or very happy event, we tend to remember those best. So if the hippocampus is weakened, it may mean that we don’t remember positive events well, leading to depression.
Another great reason to stop playing video games and get out and live life!
…be kind to yourself