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

Clinic of Neurology

31 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

Funding

This study was supported by the TUI-Foundation, the VW-Foundation, the Draeger-Foundation, the DFG (TR-SFB 134, TP C1, TP C2) and the BMBF.

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

SDG 3 Good Health and Well-being
SDG 10 Reduced Inequalities

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10.1007/s11682-016-9549-y

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

Abstract

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UN SDGs

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