pg5Whether or not you play it, you’ve probably heard about Pokémon Go in the last month. While many of the reports have been wild and admittedly false, there have been quite a few benefits to the app’s sudden boom in popularity. People who have focused on video games as a way of coping or processing the world have gotten new motivation from the game to go outside and enjoy the outdoors.

 

Helping People Battle Depression and Anxiety

pg1Many of these people have painful and debilitating medical conditions where one of the key long-term solutions is to go outside. And while that may not seem like a difficult task to many, for those with depression or anxiety (as well as any other medical condition that would aggravate the two), it can be difficult to come up with reasons to even get out of bed, let alone deliberately put themselves outside of their comfort zone. With about 40 million adults in the US suffering from some from of depression and anxiety, it is a wonderful thing that Pokémon Go has been giving people an immediate reason to do healthy daily activities via positive reinforcement.

Hatching New Weight Loss Plans

stepsIn fact, studies from medical weight loss doctors have shown that positive reinforcement done right is the best method of promoting and assisting with long-term goals. This can be especially true for weight loss goals, where it can easily feel as if there is no way to incorporate even a mild form of gratification to take the immediate edge off. When your solution to suffering is more suffering, is it any wonder that people are unable to follow through? So now, whether or not you’re a nostalgic millennial, Pokémon Go is providing a free way to enjoy the real world and explore it with your friends and family.

Pokémon Go on CNN