Excessive users of violent video games do not show emotional desensitization: an fMRI study

Gregor R. Szycik; Bahram Mohammadi; Maria Hake; Jonas Kneer; Amir Samii; Thomas F. Münte; Bert T. te Wildt

doi:10.1007/s11682-016-9549-y

Excessive users of violent video games do not show emotional desensitization: an fMRI study

Gregor R. Szycik^*, Bahram Mohammadi, Maria Hake, Jonas Kneer, Amir Samii, Thomas F. Münte, Bert T. te Wildt

^*Corresponding author for this work

6 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Playing violent video games have been linked to long-term emotional desensitization. We hypothesized that desensitization effects in excessive users of violent video games should lead to decreased brain activations to highly salient emotional pictures in emotional sensitivity brain regions. Twenty-eight male adult subjects showing excessive long-term use of violent video games and age and education matched control participants were examined in two experiments using standardized emotional pictures of positive, negative and neutral valence. No group differences were revealed even at reduced statistical thresholds which speaks against desensitization of emotion sensitive brain regions as a result of excessive use of violent video games.

Original language	English
Journal	Brain Imaging and Behavior
Volume	11
Issue number	3
Pages (from-to)	736-743
Number of pages	8
ISSN	1931-7557
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1007/s11682-016-9549-y
Publication status	Published - 01.06.2017

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abstract = "Playing violent video games have been linked to long-term emotional desensitization. We hypothesized that desensitization effects in excessive users of violent video games should lead to decreased brain activations to highly salient emotional pictures in emotional sensitivity brain regions. Twenty-eight male adult subjects showing excessive long-term use of violent video games and age and education matched control participants were examined in two experiments using standardized emotional pictures of positive, negative and neutral valence. No group differences were revealed even at reduced statistical thresholds which speaks against desensitization of emotion sensitive brain regions as a result of excessive use of violent video games.",

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AU - Hake, Maria

AU - Kneer, Jonas

AU - Samii, Amir

AU - Münte, Thomas F.

AU - te Wildt, Bert T.

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AB - Playing violent video games have been linked to long-term emotional desensitization. We hypothesized that desensitization effects in excessive users of violent video games should lead to decreased brain activations to highly salient emotional pictures in emotional sensitivity brain regions. Twenty-eight male adult subjects showing excessive long-term use of violent video games and age and education matched control participants were examined in two experiments using standardized emotional pictures of positive, negative and neutral valence. No group differences were revealed even at reduced statistical thresholds which speaks against desensitization of emotion sensitive brain regions as a result of excessive use of violent video games.

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Excessive users of violent video games do not show emotional desensitization: an fMRI study

Abstract

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