Video games in small doses

Many of us would assume that adolescents who spend less time playing video games (and computer-based games) have better social adjustment then those who spend more hours playing. Makes sense, right? We would probably also assume that kids who do not play these games at all would score the highest in social adjustment. However, an Oxford University study shows that the link is not that simple. Researchers assessed 5,000 adolescents 10-15 years of age in the U.K on their levels of hyperactivity, inattention and empathy, and how well they got along with their peers. The participants were also asked how satisfied they were with their life.

As suspected, it was shown that those kids who spent less than one hour a day playing video or computer games had higher levels of sociability and were more likely to say they were satisfied with their lives, when compared to those who played very frequently. However, it was also shown that the group who played less than one hour a day had higher sociability levels and greater life satisfaction then the group who did not play at all. The less than one hour group also appeared to have fewer friendship and emotional problems, and also reported less hyperactivity than the other groups.