Lemondrop

We're often told that video games rot the brain, but sometimes a mental vacation is just what's needed. Recent research from psychologists at Oxford University suggests that playing the highly addictive game Tetris may help with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) by healing bad memories.

Participants in the experiment viewed graphic images and 30 minutes later, one group played Tetris for 10 minutes while another group did nothing. The Tetris group experienced significantly fewer flashbacks of the images than the control group.

According to the study, post-trauma gameplay prevents some bad memories from sticking, which may explain why we have relatively few complaints about the gamer ex who never wanted to leave the couch to go out.

Good for Doctors, Too
This isn't the first time that video games have been found to help people. A 2004 study found that surgeons who played video games at least three hours a week were 37 percent less likely to make mistakes while performing laparoscopic (minimally invasive) surgery.

Click here to read four more ways video games can be good for you.


More Health Benefits
In fact, that's just the tip of video-games-are-good-for-you iceberg. They also can improve your vision (there goes the "you'll hurt your eyes" argument) by changing the way you process visual information, according to a 2007 study at the University of Rochester.

Earlier this year, a Penn State researcher found that video games can boost creativity. And games have been shown to help young people lose weight and older people keep their brains agile.

One Downside
Tetris does have its drawbacks, however. There are the dreaded "Tetris dreams," which occur when you dream of moving those shapes into place after playing the game. It appears some people have channeled this obsession into all kinds of crafty projects and decor inspired by the game. (We're partial to the backsplash tiles.)

Tell us! What video game do you swear has curative properties?