Favorite Things Friday

I love playing Tetris!

What is it about that game that is so addicting?! I don't know, maybe I'm just one of those personalities that is easily addicted to stupid games...Sudoku, Spider Solitaire, this one game on our first computer when I was a kid - called DX Ball, I think. I actually looked it up on the internet, and there is some research that has been done about Tetris being addicting. They used a lot of technical terms, though, and completely lost me. However, there was one thing they talked about that I could totally identify with. It is actually called the Tetris Effect...where your brain keeps generating the Tetris images even when you're not playing. Probably just about everyone has had this happen, because it can happen with things other than Tetris too. You know, when you close your eyes at night and you can see the game in your mind and you try to figure out how to fit the pieces together.... Don't tell me that's never happened to you before!!! ;) But, in my research, I fortunately found a reason to continue playing Tetris!! According to intensive research from a couple Doctors (I don't know what kind of doctors research Tetris, but they called them doctors so I will too!), prolonged Tetris activity can also lead to more efficient brain activity during play (and who doesn't want a more efficient brain...even if it is only during play?!). When first playing Tetris, your brain function and activity increases, along with greater cerebral energy consumption, measured by glucose metabolic rate (I put all those words in there for Jess). ;) As Tetris players become more proficient, their brains show a reduced consumption of glucose, which indicates more efficient brain activity for that task. So, I guess I'll just keep playing Tetris and Sudoku (which also has scientifically documented benefits for the brain). And in my spare time I'll look for research that proves that playing Spider Solitaire actually raises your IQ. ;)