New 'brain game' aims to reduce anxiety, improve concentration

It's time to pump-up your brain, as researchers have crafted a science-backed brain game which could help improve concentration and lessen anxiety in people.

Jason Moser of the Michigan State University said that they could soon roll out an online or mobile game based on this research that specifically targets distraction and helps people stay focused and feel less anxious.

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In the study, participants with both low and high anxiety completed a focus task in which they identified a specific shape in a series of shapes. Afterward they were given an exercise designed to distract them (by mixing in different colored shapes), but it didn't.

Moser said that the focus task had improved concentration and lessened anxiety for the anxious participants, in particular, even after the distraction exercise.

According to Moser, there were a plethora of "brain-training" games on the market, but were highly controversial and offered no independent scientific proof that they help sharpen focus, let alone reduce anxiety.

The research is the first scientific step toward addressing the effects of distraction on anxiety and it could eventually lead to an everyday solution.

The study is published in the journal Behavior Therapy.