Rumination on violence increases aggressoin

"Playing a violent video game can increase aggression, and when a player keeps thinking about the game, the potential for aggression can last for as long as 24 hours.

This study shows that (for men) ruminating about the game can increase the game's tendency to lead to aggression long after the game has been turned off.

The researchers randomly assigned college students to play one of six different video games for 20 minutes. Half the games were violent (e.g., Mortal Kombat) and half were not (e.g., Guitar Hero).

After 24 hours:
Men who didn't think about the game: the violent video game players tested no more aggressive than men who had played non-violent games.

Men who did think about the game: More aggressive than the other groups.

The researchers also found that women who played the violent video games and thought about the games did not experience increased aggression 24 hours later."

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This study is interesting as it supports the basis of Brief Solution Focused Therapy. When the participants were not thinking about violence (i.e. the violent game) they were no more violent than those who were thinking about non-violence (i.e. the non-violent game.)

But when they were thinking about violence, they themselves became more violent.

To me this just supports the view of BSFT that ruminating on behaviour will encourage that behaviour. For example, those with depression who ruminate on their problem are going to feel worse than those ruminating on the solution (what their life could be like without depression.)

It also makes me wonder if those that play money-making video games are more likely to be better at business than their peers?

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