Neurologist suggests we ‘play life like a game’ to transform brain’s perspective and control situations
Failing a level in video games never feels like a threat, it just adds to the experience... why should life be different?
We often worry too much about something or other until it becomes overwhelming. When you don’t have a set plan, whether it's for your career, relationships, or even just the week’s routine, fear starts crawling up your spine. Board-certified neurologist Dr. Bing shared that we can use a simple “hack” to transform this worrisome perspective and gain better control over our lives. “Play life like a game” is a genius way to mellow the anxiety and horror we create in our minds. The neurologist explained why even science backs this seemingly bizarre idea. In the clip shared on his Facebook page, the professional recommended considering yourself the main character in a game.
The primary reason Dr. Bing cited was “seriousness.” Some of us start worrying about life from the time we’re teenagers — what to study, which career to pick, where to find a job, and so on. And this worry just snowballs as we grow until it's too much to deal with. Now, if you picture yourself as a character in a game, these scary ideas that feel like the world will end if not achieved become more subtle and seem less worrisome. When you’re playing a game, you won’t feel like doomsday if you fail; you’ll try harder, perhaps, with a different strategy.
The neurologist asked people to think of the challenge v/s threat perspective. “In games, you expect obstacles, you expect surprises,” the doctor noted. Because all of this is expected, you plan and prepare, but more than that, you adapt and take on the challenge as a fun or productive thing to do, not like your life depends on it. When obstacles seem like challenges instead of threats, the “brain calms the amygdala and lets your frontal lobes take over,” Dr. Bing noted, which helps to think better and clearer. The next reason mentioned was "levelling up.” In a game, you’ll not fret about losing the level; you’ll build your skills and come back again.
Dr. Bing shared an instance of gamers who spend hours trying to perfect the skills of their fictional characters so they can tackle what comes their way. “You know you’ll get rewarded,” he remarked. If we applied the same thing to real life and rewarded improvements, or small wins, it could greatly benefit us. When we consider this aspect, life becomes less about “perfection” and more about “trial and error.” “Think about any game you have ever played, you don’t master the level on the first try,” the doctor explained. You make mistakes, figure things out, and get back to it. “That’s not failure, that’s part of the process,” he added.
Man playing football. (Representative Image Source: Pexels | Photo by Evg Kowalievska)The same applies to life. “The nervous system strengthens the correct pathways after mistakes," the neurologist said. A 2019 study published by Scientific American suggests that failure is a “prerequisite” for success. Researchers analyzed 776,721 grant applications and multiple startup investments. The takeaway? Every winner began as a loser. The study lead, Dashun Wang, noted, “You have to figure out what worked and what didn’t, and then focus on what needs to be improved instead of thrashing around and changing everything.” The average number of failures for whom things didn’t work out at least once before they succeeded was 2.03 in the case of applicants and 1.05 for startups.
Personal Excellence shared some noteworthy examples. Tim Ferris’ book, “The 4-Hour Workweek,” was rejected by 25 publishers before it became New York’s best-seller ahead of his other best-selling works. Tim Westergren’s business idea was rejected around 300 times, and the company was broke for 2.5 years before it flourished as Pandora. Tim Denning, advisor and writer, dabbled in gaming to a point where losing was fun. And he learned a lot from those experiences. For him, every loss was one step closer to a “big win.” “Life has an undefined time horizon of roughly 100 years. It makes no sense to fear losing or to stop after one loss. Treat losing like an art form,” he said. Nate Csonka wrote, "Been doing this for a while, it is such an awesome change. Especially seeing literally everything you do is experience and beneficial for future you." Kristina Keskin added, "Great perspective about life and its challenges."
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