# Pokemon Go May Boost Mental and Physical Health



## David Baxter PhD (May 7, 2018)

*Pokemon Go May Boost Mental and Physical Health*
by Megan Brooks, _Medscape_
May 7, 2018

*Playing Pokemon Go is associated with an increase in physical and social  activity and an improved sense of well-being among young people.*

Playing Pokémon Go is associated with an increase in physical  activity and social behavior and an improved sense of well-being,  highlighting its potential as a behavioral activation and exposure tool  for the treatment of mental health problems in adolescents and young  adults, report researchers from Canada."This type of gaming  technology should be harnessed as a tool for engagement in a population  which is historically difficult to engage in behavioral treatments for  depression and anxiety disorders," said Michael Van Ameringen, MD,  professor, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences,  McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.

He presented the study at a press briefing here at the American Psychiatric Association (APA) annual meeting.

*Walking, Talking, and Feeling Well *
Pokémon  Go was launched in early 2016 and soon became a phenomenon,  particularly among young people. The game is played using a Smartphone  application. Users have to walk outdoors to "catch" Pokémon using Global  Positioning System data and cameras on their smartphones. The players  can also get Pokémon eggs, which they can then hatch only if they walk  for several kilometers. The game involves both physical activity and  social, face-to-face interactions with other players.

Although the game was not designed to be a mental health  app, early anecdotal reports indicate that it may provide mental health  benefits.

To investigate further, Van Ameringen and colleagues  surveyed 157 people who had been playing Pokémon Go for an average of 13  weeks at an average of 7 hours per week. The mean age of the  participants was 20 years, 57% were white, 78% were women, 89% were  single, and 62% were full-time students.

After playing Pokémon Go,  44% reported that they had engaged in more physical activity; 13% said  they had lost weight (about 5.3 lb); 25% reported an improved sense of  well-being; and 23% reported a change in social behavior.

Among  those who reported changes in social behavior, 85% said that they had  spoken more to unfamiliar people, 53% reported being more comfortable  speaking to unfamiliar people, 77% spent more time with friends, and 41%  made new real-life friends (not virtual friends) since playing the  game.

Compared to participants who played fewer than 10 hours  per week, those who played for longer periods were more apt to report  sleeping less and spending less time at work. They also reported an  increase in physical activity and an improved sense of well-being.

In an interview with _Medscape Medical News_,  Van Ameringen noted that one the biggest difficulties with mobile  mental health apps is that people download the app, look at it once or  twice, and then stop using it.

"Unless the clinician has some  involvement with the app, people don't sustain their involvement with  it. But people who play Pokémon Go are typically really engaged with it,  and that's without a therapist. So that's what some of the apps are  missing. They don't sustain that user engagement," he said.

*A Perfect Fit *
Briefing  moderator Ranna Parekh, MD, MPH, deputy medical director and director  of diversity and health equity for the APA, said this research "fits in  perfectly with the theme of this year's annual meeting, which is  Building Well-Being Through Innovation. I will never think about Pokémon  Go in the same way.

"Technology is transforming health, including mental  health care, and there are thousands of apps that claim to assist with  mental or behavioral health," said Parekh. She suggested that clinicians  check out APA's online mobile apps evaluation tool "to learn some questions that we encourage clinicians to ask before recommending any app to patients.

"We  also need more research to see what impact technology and specific apps  are having on mental health. While Pokémon Go is not specifically  designed to help with mental health, it has been found to influence  players' mental health overall," said Parekh.

_American Psychiatric Association (APA) 2018. Poster P5-154, presented May 6, 2018._


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