Got a sudden craving for something but don't want to indulge in it? Beat it by playing a game of Tetris. The classic game of aligning blocks gives you the edge you need to fight them off, according to psychologists at Plymouth University.

All you have to do is play a short session to reduce the cravings until they eventually wear of. How does this work?

Cravings are usually very short, but strong because they are visually-based. When you want something, your brain will imagine it. It makes it very hard to resist. But if you re-focus your mind onto something else, you can beat the craving eventually.

Playing Tetris for just a few minutes can actively do this. It forces your brain to focus on the game rather than the craving. Researchers asked volunteers about what they were craving and how strong the craving was.

One group of these volunteers played Tetris for three minutes, while another did not (the second group was forced to watch a loading screen of a game that would never load). After that, researchers asked these participants about their cravings again.

Those who played the game had less cravings than their counterparts who didn't play the game.

Playing Tetris lets you feel more in control when those cravings suddenly appear. And because it is available on practically every device, download a copy now if you need to fight off certain cravings you have.

Who knows? It could work on you.

[Medical XPress]