Brain Games May Curb Risky Impulses

LiveScience:

Certain brain training exercises could make people less impulsive, and in turn, cut down on risky behaviors, a new study suggests.

The “training” involves engaging in a task that requires people to inhibit their movements. For instance, participants in the study were told to press a button when they saw a certain image, but to restrain from pressing the button if the image suddenly turned boldface.

When participants took part in such “inhibition training,” they were less likely to place risky bets in a gambling game two hours later, the researchers said.

“This work could have important practical implications for the treatment of behavioral addictions, such as pathological gambling, which have previously been associated with impaired impulse control,” said study researcher Frederick Verbruggen, of the University of Exeter in England.

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