Playing Action Games Could Make Us Better Multitaskers

We all want to multitask, but are generally lousy at it. Cognitive researcher Daphne Bavalier argues that that video games can actually make us better at it.

In the above TED talk from 2012, Bavelier discusses a body of research about adults playing video games like . She found that players learn to deal with multiple visual and auditory distractions simultaneously, and these are learned skills that can carry over to the real world. She found results in just 10-12 weeks with 30 minutes of play a day, five days a week. It doesn’t mean you should avoid the traditional advice — that is, focusing on one task at a time — but it is one example of how video games may not be so bad for us.

Check out Bavelier’s TED Talk above for more — she talks about several other benefits of video games that are quite interesting.

Daphne Bavelier: Your Brain on Video Games [TED via Fast Company]