This Is Your Brain on Violence
The first study to look at the direct effect of videogames on teen brains documents functional differences between violent and non-violent play.
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For nearly 35 years, Americans have lived with videogames—and the controversy surrounding them. Proponents say the games are fun and even help teach kids how to use logic to solve problems. Critics say the more violent games—including some that reward players for killing innocent bystanders and police—increase aggressive thoughts and anti-social behavior.
Unfortunately, the debate has suffered from a dearth of empirical evidence about the effect of videogames. Now, a new brain-imaging study from Indiana University—the first of its kind—suggests that playing violent videogames may indeed change the way a person feels and acts. In the study, released Tuesday at the at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America, researchers found that teenagers who played a violent video game exhibited increased activity in a part of the brain that governs emotional arousal. The same teens showed decreased activity in the parts of the brain involved in focus, inhibition and concentration. The study randomly assigned 44 physically and psychologically normal 13- to 17-year-old boys and girls (with boys outnumbering girls more than two-to-one) to two groups. One group played a violent war-time videogame for a half hour while the other played a nonviolent, car-chase video game. Researchers then used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to look at the kids’ brains. NEWSWEEK's Karen Springen spoke with lead researcher Dr. Vincent P. Mathews, professor of radiology at the Indiana University School of Medicine in Indianapolis. Excerpts:
NEWSWEEK: Do you think playing violent videogames makes teens more likely to commit violent acts?
Dr. Vincent P. Mathews: That would be the speculation. Our study is looking at brain function. There have been several other psychology studies, dating back to the ‘70s, that have evaluated behavior after exposure to violent media. Adolescents and young adults show increased aggressive behavior.
Dr. Vincent P. Mathews
Does age matter? Are teen brains more, or less, malleable than younger kids’ brains or adult brains?
Discuss