Can Bejeweled fight depression?

A study commissioned by game company Pop Cap to researchers at East Carolina University has found that playing Bejeweled may stave off depression by activating the parasympathetic nervous system. Here's an excerpt from a story in the Washington Post about a 49-year old woman named Gail Nichols who contacted Pop Cap &mdash the company that created Bejeweled &mdash saying that she was able to fight off a particularly low low by losing herself in its sparky digital jewels:

Nichols said she liked a version of the game where she was not competing against anyone or trying to rack up mammoth points. In her favorite version, colored gems drop endlessly onto the screen, and Nichols said she falls into a trance of simultaneous concentration and relaxation that she calls Zen.

I'm not depressed, but during a brief moment of frustration at work yesterday I decided to try playing Bejeweled to see if it would improve my mood. For the few minutes that the game lasted, I was entranced and obsessed with matching colored gems. Turns out I suck at this game, though, so when the screen screamed No More Moves! at me several minutes later, I felt shittier than ever.

[via Washington Post]