Breaking the Depression Cycle – Through Gaming
Who would have thought that playing a mobile game could help lift the fog of depression? A new gaming application, rooted in research by Professor Moshe Bar from Bar-Ilan University's Brain Research Center, is proving exactly that
Mood Bloom, the game recently tested at Boston's Massachusetts General Hospital, with results published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research, is an innovative approach to depression showing remarkable promise.
"Depression and anxiety are linked to a narrow view of the world," explains Professor Bar. "Through my research, I discovered that people with depression often struggle to see the bigger picture. That's exactly what our game does—it encourages people to broaden their perspective by expanding and flexing their thinking processes."
The science behind Mood Bloom is compelling. In a rigorous clinical trial, 74 participants spent just 15 minutes a day playing five specially designed mini-games aimed at breaking negative thought patterns, while 27 others served as a control group. The results? After eight weeks, players showed significantly better improvement than the control group, scoring seven points better on the clinical depression scale (MADRS). Most impressively, these benefits persisted even four weeks after the trial ended.
"After demonstrating in the laboratory how promoting thinking processes can remarkably impact mood, we're now seeing that implementing this science-based approach through a digital application can provide an incredibly accessible and effective way to alleviate depression symptoms," Professor Bar notes.
The project represents a powerful collaboration between academic research and tech innovation, bringing together Professor Bar and Shmuel Keret, a former co-founder of Waze. Their company, Hedonia, has developed Mood Bloom as a daily gaming experience that offers a unique and proven method for breaking negative thought cycles and achieving significant improvement in depression and anxiety symptoms.