“I suffer from both depression and anxiety and some days I find it hard to get out of bed, let alone leave the house,” Meg Bethany Read, 20, a gamer and journalism student,” says.
“Generally, I just feel a lot happier and not only is that down to the fact that I’m actually getting fresh air and sunshine, but I’ve also lost 7Ibs already so that’s made me feel incredibly good about myself,” Read told ibtimes.
Psychologist John M. Grohol wrote on PsychCentral, how Pokémon Go is helping people with depression and other mood disorders to get outside and explore the world around. According to him, the advantage Pokémon Go has over existing mood-altering apps is that, it encourages healthy exercise which works very well on mood.
Some twitter users also shared the impact Pokémon Go has had on their mental health:
#PokemonGO this is actually making me want to leave my room and interact with people finally after years of depression I love this so much
— Amy (@amyxplier) July 10, 2016
#PokemonGO has changed me so much for the better in only a week. Dealing with BPD, depression& anxiety it has helped me get out of the house — Lara (@38Violetqueen) July 11, 2016
The Power of Gamification.
Pokémon Go shares same techniques often used by marketing firms to encourage engagement with a product or service. So far, interesting rewards are involve, players are eager to take on new behaviors, such as walking, hiking and running like never before just to achieve the goal.
Pokémon Go teaches the need to unplug oneself from present satisfaction and pursue greater things.
As fans of ‘Pokémon Go’ are getting more obsessed daily, and having seen how willing they are to risk anything to catch Pokémons; the Western Australian Police recently issued the above security tips on their facebook page to help ‘Pokémon Go’ addicts play safe.
The Power of Nostalgia.
One of the reasons people say make Pokémon Go popular is its ability to bring back childhood memories and emotions that new apps can’t.
Unlike the new games and stories, Pokémon which has been around for 20 years can give players the chance to revisit old memories; the old sounds, characters and images are all powerful sources of nostalgia.
Clay Routledge, Ph.D., professor of psychology at North Dakota State University, wrote on psychologytoday, how Pokémon Go represents a new way to access Pokémon Nostalgia.
[hr gap=”2″]
4 Hobbies That Can Make You Smarter
[hr gap=”2″]
“the people who played these games as children on Gameboys are now able to use their grown up smartphones to revisit their childhood memories,” Routledge says.
References:
-
Lydia Smith. Pokémon Go: Is catching a Pikachu on your phone really good for your mental health? – Ibtimes
-
What Pokémon Go means for corporate wellness. Activate Your Work Force – Australian Healthworks group.
-
Johnny Youseff. 3 Fascinating Lessons To Learn From The “Pokémon Go” Phenomenon.
-
Jim Marous. Lessons Pokémon Go Can Teach the Banking Industry. – The Financial Brand
