The Simple (and Fun!) Way to Fight Cravings

Cravings are brutal. Luckily for smartphone gamers, though, playing Tetris can help you overcome cravings, according to a new study in the journal Appetite.

For the study, researchers at the Plymouth University’s Cognition Institute looked at more than 100 men between the ages of 18 and 30, including some who were battling their own cravings at the time. The researchers had half play Tetris, while the other half waited for a computer program to load. Among those who got their game on, cravings immediately dropped 24 percent.

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No, it’s not too good to be true: The brain can only focus on so many things at once—so when you’re dwelling on ice cream or chips, focusing for a few minutes on a flurry of brightly colored shapes and a ticking clock pushes those cravings to the back of your mind, explain the researchers.

MORE: 7 Ways to Stop Craving Junk Food

That means that Tetris isn’t the only game that can take your cravings down a peg. Anything that’s highly visual, demanding, and, yes, fun (think: Candy Crush and Flappy Bird) can keep your mind off of bad-for-you foods. Plus, researchers note that since cravings are usually short-lived, by the time you finish your game, they could be completely gone.

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