Video games calm the body after stress, even when players feel on edge

Video games calm the body after stress, even when players feel on edge

Playing A Plague Tale: Requiem helped participants recover from stress on a biological level, regardless of violent or non-violent gameplay. But those playing violent passages felt more stressed and aggressive, highlighting a disconnect between felt and physiological stress responses.

psypost.org

A new lab study had players dunk their hand in ice-cold water to spike stress, then chill out with 25 minutes of A Plague Tale: Requiem. No matter if they tackled the game’s violent or non-violent scenes, their heart rates and cortisol levels dropped back down after play, showing a clear physiological “reset.”

But here’s the kicker: when asked how they felt, folks who’d played the intense, gory bits reported more tension and aggression, while the mellow scenes left players feeling relaxed. In short, your body might power-down post-game—even if your mind thinks it’s still on edge.