Note: the self-experiment below is excerpted (with minor modifications) from Smarter Tomorrow on page 257. For more on the power of serious games, read chapter 17, “Serious Games”. To run a full version of this self-experiment, follow the instructions in chapter 4, "The Nuts and Bolts".
What you're about to do is a bit of an odd exercise - you're going to be intentionally coming up with topics that upset you! But, you're going to learn what activity helps you best learn to manage those feelings.
The experiment below compares the effects of two interventions on your emotional self-regulation. In one intervention, you will play a game for 10 minutes. The other intervention will be doing meditation for 10 minutes.
Materials
Cost: Low ($0)
Complexity: Low
How to Customize
Alternative to Tetris:
If Tetris does not appeal to you, consider one of the following game alternatives: Nevermind for adults (note that some users may find it somewhat scary), Mightier for children, or SuperBetter. Note that these games vary in cost, complexity, and in who they tend to work best for, but they all have research backing their potential to improve self-regulation in some populations.
Alternative to Meditation:
If you'd rather not meditate, you can substitute by doodling on a piece of paper instead.
A quick warning:
You're about to put yourself into a situation where you'll be thinking about something somewhat personally distressing to you - intentionally! If you begin feeling too upset, please stop the activity. If you're still feeling bad, please don't hesitate to get help right away: https://www.samhsa.gov/find-help/national-helpline or call 1-800-662-4357. Keep in mind that this is an educational but not a clinical website. If you feel distressed, please get the help you need; here's a directory of international helplines, too. We'll be cheering you on and hope you feel better soon.
Directions
Sources from Endnotes:
-Rozenkrantz, Liron, et al. “Placebo Can Enhance Creativity.” Edited by Emmanuel Manalo. PLOS One 12 (9): e0182466, 2017. doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0182466.
What you're about to do is a bit of an odd exercise - you're going to be intentionally coming up with topics that upset you! But, you're going to learn what activity helps you best learn to manage those feelings.
The experiment below compares the effects of two interventions on your emotional self-regulation. In one intervention, you will play a game for 10 minutes. The other intervention will be doing meditation for 10 minutes.
Materials
- Marbles (to make the test randomized)
- Tetris (you can find it free online)
- Your performance-based test of emotional self-regulation (flip to the end of chapter 8, "The New EQ").
- A timer
- Your Neurohacker's Lab Notebook where you'll record your experiment and your results (see chapter 5, "Organize to Motivate")
- Optional: paper and pencil if you prefer to write in a journal for 10 mins instead of meditation
Cost: Low ($0)
Complexity: Low
How to Customize
Alternative to Tetris:
If Tetris does not appeal to you, consider one of the following game alternatives: Nevermind for adults (note that some users may find it somewhat scary), Mightier for children, or SuperBetter. Note that these games vary in cost, complexity, and in who they tend to work best for, but they all have research backing their potential to improve self-regulation in some populations.
Alternative to Meditation:
If you'd rather not meditate, you can substitute by doodling on a piece of paper instead.
A quick warning:
You're about to put yourself into a situation where you'll be thinking about something somewhat personally distressing to you - intentionally! If you begin feeling too upset, please stop the activity. If you're still feeling bad, please don't hesitate to get help right away: https://www.samhsa.gov/find-help/national-helpline or call 1-800-662-4357. Keep in mind that this is an educational but not a clinical website. If you feel distressed, please get the help you need; here's a directory of international helplines, too. We'll be cheering you on and hope you feel better soon.
Directions
- For 5 minutes, intentionally think about something distressing to you emotionally.
- Pick something that is somewhat upsetting, but not *too* upsetting - your goal isn't to traumatize yourself!
- Here are some ideas: it could be a critique from a boss, a disagreement with a loved one, a concern that you won’t hit a deadline, news about a politician doing something you feel is wrong, or something that upsets you somewhat but not overwhelmingly.
If you can’t think of anything that makes you feel the right level of upset (not too much, not too little), try this instead: think of something that is a temptation for you. Again, it should be something that is a little bit of a problem, but not a full-blown addiction. For instance, maybe you struggle a little bit to control yourself when it comes to watching shows, or online shopping, or Googling for interesting trivia, or eating baked goods. Whatever it is, imagine putting yourself into a situation in which you will encounter exactly that temptation.
- Take the performance-based emotional self-regulation test you’ve chosen for your daily tracking (again, you'll find that in chapter 8 of the book, Smarter Tomorrow). Record your scores in your Neurohacker’s Notebook.
- Check your randomization schedule to know which intervention you are supposed to do that day (to understand more of how that works, check out the "Nuts and Bolts" chapter in the book, Smarter Tomorrow).
- On days when you are supposed to play Tetris, do so for 10 minutes.
- On days when you are supposed to meditate, do so for 10 minutes. Here are instructions for mindfulness meditation:
- Sit in a quiet space with your eyes closed.
- Take a deep breath. Relax.
- With each breath, feel the air go in and out of your chest, and feel your belly contract and expand.
- Don’t control, just observe the sensations and thoughts that come and go as you sit.
- If you notice your attention wandering, gently pull it back.
- Counting or repeating a mantra can help you stay present.
- If you find yourself encountering difficult feelings, memories, or sensations, try to meet them with kind, gentle, nonjudgmental care. Don’t be afraid to seek out more support or resources if challenging thoughts, feelings, or experiences come up for you. If you feel you might do better with a guided meditation, there are apps for that, too! The app Headspace is one of the best-studied options10 and provides a structured course, but other apps such as Insight Timer are free and allow for more user customization.
- Take the emotional self-regulation test from step 1 again. Was there a change in your scores?
Repeat this the number of times necessary to find out which activity results in a stronger effect on your ability to self-regulate - Tetris or meditation? Typically, you'll want to do each activity 15-30 times, but for more instructions, please go to Nuts & Bolts chapter of the book, Smarter Tomorrow.
Sources from Endnotes:
-Rozenkrantz, Liron, et al. “Placebo Can Enhance Creativity.” Edited by Emmanuel Manalo. PLOS One 12 (9): e0182466, 2017. doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0182466.