Citation

Teismann T, Förtsch EM, Baumgart P, Het S, Michalak J. Psychiatry Res. 2014; 215(1): 217-222.

Affiliation

Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Universitätsstraße 150, 44780 Bochum, Germany. Electronic address: tobias.teismann@rub.de.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2014, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.psychres.2013.10.021

PMID

24210745

Abstract

The interpersonal theory of suicidal behavior proposes that fearlessness of death and physical pain insensitivity is a necessary requisite for self-inflicted lethal self-harm. Repeated experiences with painful and provocative events are supposed to cause an incremental increase in acquired capability. The present study examined whether playing a first-person shooter-game in contrast to a first-person racing game increases pain tolerance, a dimension of the acquired capability construct, and risk-taking behavior, a risk factor for developing acquired capability. N=81 male participants were randomly assigned to either play an action-shooter or a racing game before engaging in a game on risk-taking behavior and performing a cold pressor task (CPT). Participants exhibited higher pain tolerance after playing an action shooter game than after playing a racing game. Furthermore, playing an action shooter was generally associated with heightened risk-taking behavior. Group-differences were not attributable to the effects of the different types of games on self-reported mood and arousal. Overall these results indicate that action-shooter gaming alters pain tolerance and risk-taking behavior. Therefore, it may well be that long-term consumption of violent video games increases a person's capability to enact lethal self-harm.

Language: en