THE OPPOSITE OF THE TALKING CURE:

Last week a group of researchers from the U.K. and Sweden published a study reporting that playing just 20 minutes of Tetris -- in research parlance, a "Tetris-based intervention" -- following an automobile accident can help prevent the formation of the painful, intrusive memories that can follow trauma.

The new research looked at 71 patients who had presented to the John Radcliffe Hospital emergency room in Oxford, England, within six hours of being in a car accident. While waiting to be seen, patients were first asked to recall their trauma and recount the worst moments that sprang to mind. (If it helps, they were paid.) They were then randomized to either play Tetris for 20 minutes on a handheld Nintendo DS XL system or to instead fill out an activity log of what they had experienced since arriving at the hospital. The latter group served as the control.

The gamers were found to have 62 percent fewer intrusive memories in the first week after their accident than the control group. What's more, their bad memories diminished more quickly than in controls.

Tweet   @brothersjudd