Study Finds Violent Video Games Lower Stress Hormones

In a surprising turn, a recent study suggests that playing violent video games might lower stress hormones in some players. Contrary to what many thought, the study found no rise in aggressive behavior, showing a more complex link between game content and how players react. The findings were published in the journal Physiology & Behavior.

For years, people debated how violent games affect behavior. Past studies hinted at more aggression and stress in players. This debate sparked discussions among parents, educators, and policymakers about whether these games are right for young people. To dig deeper into this, researchers studied the effects of violent games on the body and mind.

Gary L. Wagener, a researcher at the University of Luxembourg, explained, "I'm interested in this because I'm a gamer. I've loved games since I was little. I played for fun, competition, and to escape stress." When Wagener started studying psychology, he noticed conflicting research on violent games. Some said they make people more aggressive, while others disagreed. Unhappy with how the media portrayed this, Wagener decided to study it himself.

The study involved 54 men. They were randomly chosen to play either a violent or non-violent part of the game "Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End" for 25 minutes. The researchers used new methods to measure the effects. They checked participants' cortisol and testosterone levels before and after gaming using saliva samples. They also looked at personality traits and tested for aggressive thoughts.

The results surprised the researchers. Contrary to past studies, testosterone levels didn't change in either group. More surprising, cortisol levels dropped in the violent game group, suggesting it might ease stress.

The study also tested for aggressive thoughts. It found no big difference between the violent and non-violent game groups. This suggests that short-term exposure to game violence might not make people more aggressive, as some thought.

Wagener said, "We aimed to test if violent games increase aggression, as past studies suggested. We thought past studies missed some things like players' personalities and body responses. What surprised us was that violent games had no effect on aggression, even when considering these factors. They even had positive effects on the body."

Personality played a role. People with higher Machiavellianism scores, linked to manipulation, showed a bigger drop in cortisol after playing the violent game. This suggests that how people respond to violent games depends on their personality. Other dark traits like sadism, psychopathy, and narcissism didn't show big effects.

Wagener reminded, "This study only looked at one game. We need more research with different games to be sure. Also, we only studied men, so we can't say how women might react."

The study shows that the link between violent games and behavior isn't clear-cut. More research, including women and bigger groups, is needed. This will help us understand how game content affects us and how different people respond.

Wagener added, "This study is just the start. More research is coming, so stay tuned for more interesting findings!"

The study, titled "Games, hormones, and 'dark' personalities: Dark tetrad and the effects of violent gaming on aggression, cortisol, and testosterone," was done by Gary L. Wagener, André Schulz, and André Melzer.

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