Pokémon Go reduces depression?

If you live in the city and have taken a stroll downtown during the evenings, chances are you’ve come across hoards of teenagers and adults sitting together, staring at their phones. At first glance, it’d be easy to dismiss the groups as indulged millennials wasting their time, but the Pokémon Go app is actually being credited with helping reduce social anxiety and depression amongst those who play it.

Science Alert relays that since the app came out last month, a good percent of the population has begun regularly exercising as they walk around to play the virtual game. In addition, the app has spurred people to actually interact with each other, helping to reduce social anxiety in individuals who play it.

It should be noted that established methods of reducing depression exist, and they include being in nature, exercising, interacting with others in the same mindset, and enjoying one’s time.  However, it’s Pokémon Go which seems to be inspiring people to experience all simultaneously.

Psychologist John M. Grohol reported on PsychCentral that there has been an increase of social media users expressing reduced feelings of depression and anxiety since playing the app.

The game – which is now more popular than Tinder and is likely to overtake Twitter – has one advantage over other apps, according to the psychologist: it inspires people to get out of their houses and get active. This can be incredibly difficult for those who have social anxiety or suffer from depression.

Don’t just take his word for it, however. Following are some Tweets by people who credit the app for benefiting their mental afflictions:

Source: http://www.trueactivist.com/the-popular-pokemon-go-app-is-being-credited-with-reducing-depression/

This post was written by Amanda Froelich and was originally published at trueactivist.com. Title was edited for length.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.