Introduction
In today's world, video games have become an integral part of our lives. Whether it's playing Call of Duty with friends, working out with Wii Sports, or killing time with Angry Birds on the bus, gaming has become a significant part of our daily routines. The average American spends over ten hours a week playing computer games. But what if these games could do more than just entertain us? What if they could actually help us become better versions of ourselves?
Jane McGonigal's book "SuperBetter" explores this fascinating concept, proposing that we can harness the power of games to improve our lives in meaningful ways. Drawing from her personal experience of recovering from a brain injury, McGonigal developed a game called SuperBetter that aims to help people overcome challenges and grow stronger as individuals.
This book summary will delve into the key ideas presented in "SuperBetter," exploring how games can be used to alleviate pain, overcome trauma, build empathy, strengthen motivation, and ultimately lead to a more fulfilling life. We'll examine the science behind these concepts and learn practical strategies for incorporating game-like thinking into our daily lives.
The Power of Games
Games as Pain Relief and Trauma Recovery
One of the most surprising revelations in "SuperBetter" is the potential for games to help manage physical pain and overcome trauma. McGonigal cites a study involving burn victims, who typically experience severe pain that can't be fully addressed with medication. Researchers found that when these patients played a 3D game called Snow World, set in a virtual world of ice caves and snowballs, they reported feeling less pain during their treatments.
This phenomenon occurs because games can control a person's "attention spotlight." Our brains are constantly bombarded with signals, and pain, being a particularly strong signal, usually gets the most attention. By redirecting the brain's focus to a game, the impact of other signals, including pain, is diminished.
Similarly, games can help in processing traumatic events. A study found that playing Tetris within six hours of experiencing a traumatic event could reduce the frequency of involuntary flashbacks. While patients could still remember the event, they experienced fewer intrusive thoughts about it.
The key to these effects lies in the concept of "flow," a state of complete absorption in an activity. Unlike passive activities like watching TV, games require active engagement and challenge, leading to a more profound cognitive absorption. This explains why children who play Super Mario Bros before surgery experience less anxiety and require less medication – they're less focused on their fear because they're immersed in the game.
Building Empathy and Relationships
Games don't just help us individually; they can also strengthen our connections with others. When two people play the same game in the same room, they develop a strong neurological and physiological bond. They display similar facial expressions, and their heartbeats even synchronize – regardless of whether they're playing cooperatively or competitively.
This bonding effect extends beyond the gaming session. We're more likely to like someone we've played a game with because we perceive them as similar to ourselves. Games can even bridge generational gaps and cultural divides. For instance, when younger and older people played Wii Sports bowling together, both groups developed more positive opinions about each other's age groups.
The Middle East Gaming Challenge leverages this potential, bringing together Israelis and Palestinians to play games in hopes of fostering understanding and empathy. However, it's important to note that these positive effects are most pronounced when people play together in the same physical space. Online gaming with strangers can sometimes lead to negative emotions, especially after losses.
Boosting Motivation and Perseverance
Games have a unique ability to boost our motivation, confidence, and strength. They make us the heroes of our own stories, which can build character by improving our work ethic and sense of compassion. For example, the game Re-Mission, designed for young cancer patients, helps players fight cancer cells in a virtual human body using "chemotherapy blasters" and "antibiotic grenades." This game not only fosters optimism but also reinforces the importance of adhering to treatment schedules.
Playing games increases our levels of dopamine, the brain's pleasure neurotransmitter, which in turn boosts our motivation and determination. This effect extends beyond the game itself, influencing how we approach decisions and challenges in our everyday lives. People who regularly play games tend to be more persistent, have a stronger work ethic, and maintain a more positive outlook on what they can achieve.
The SuperBetter Method
Understanding the Concept
SuperBetter is more than just a game – it's a method for approaching life's challenges with a gamer's mindset. The core idea is to replace a "threat mindset" with a "challenge mindset." Instead of viewing obstacles as threats to be avoided, we learn to see them as challenges to be overcome, just as we do in games.
This shift in perspective can have profound physiological effects. When we feel threatened, our arteries constrict, but when we feel challenged, they expand, enabling us to accomplish greater physical feats. By adopting a challenge mindset, we can turn anxiety into excitement and approach our goals with more energy and enthusiasm.
The Seven Steps of SuperBetter
McGonigal outlines seven steps to implement the SuperBetter method in your life:
Choose Your Challenge: Identify a specific goal or obstacle you want to overcome. This could be anything from losing weight to learning a new skill or overcoming an illness.
Identify Power-Ups: These are small, positive actions that consistently make you feel stronger, happier, or healthier. They could be as simple as listening to your favorite song, petting your cat, or doing a few push-ups.
Identify Bad Guys: These are the obstacles or habits that hinder your progress. Recognizing your "bad guys" helps you develop strategies to overcome them.
Find Allies: Seek out friends, family members, or even online communities who can support you in your journey.
Design Quests: Create simple, everyday activities that help you make progress towards your goal. These should be small, achievable tasks that build your skills and willpower over time.
Develop a Secret Identity: Create an empowering alter ego that plays to your strengths and makes your journey more fun and engaging.
Pursue Epic Wins: Set challenging but achievable milestones that inspire you and boost your confidence when you reach them.
Implementing SuperBetter in Your Life
Power-Ups and Bad Guys
In the world of SuperBetter, power-ups are the equivalent of the mushrooms that make Mario grow larger or the potions that restore a character's health in role-playing games. In real life, power-ups are small, positive actions that consistently make you feel stronger, happier, or healthier.
The key to effective power-ups is frequency, not intensity. It's better to give yourself many small boosts throughout the day than to rely on one big boost. Physical power-ups, like doing a few push-ups or going for a short walk, are particularly beneficial because they provide both mental and physical benefits.
Examples of power-ups might include:
- Drinking a glass of water
- Taking three deep breaths
- Stretching for 30 seconds
- Sending a text to a friend
- Looking at a photo that makes you smile
On the flip side, bad guys are the obstacles or habits that make your journey more difficult. These could be external factors, like a busy schedule or unsupportive friends, or internal factors, like self-doubt or procrastination. The goal isn't necessarily to defeat these bad guys permanently, but to develop strategies for dealing with them effectively.
Examples of bad guys might include:
- The snooze button on your alarm clock
- Social media distractions
- Negative self-talk
- Junk food in the pantry
- Procrastination
By identifying your power-ups and bad guys, you become more aware of the factors influencing your progress and can make conscious choices to support your goals.
Allies and Quests
In the SuperBetter framework, allies are the people who support you on your journey. They could be friends, family members, or even online acquaintances who share similar goals. The beauty of framing your challenge as a game is that it's often easier to ask someone to "play" with you than to ask for help directly.
Social support is crucial not just for emotional reasons, but for physiological ones as well. Studies have shown that social connections can reduce stress and even boost physical resilience. McGonigal suggests that you only need about two solid allies to play SuperBetter effectively.
Quests, on the other hand, are the daily activities that help you make progress towards your goal. These should be simple, achievable tasks that align with your overall objective. The key is to complete at least one quest per day, gradually building your skills and willpower over time.
Examples of quests might include:
- If you're trying to eat healthier: "Try one new vegetable today"
- If you're working on fitness: "Do 10 push-ups before breakfast"
- If you're learning a language: "Learn and use three new words today"
- If you're managing stress: "Practice five minutes of meditation"
By completing quests regularly, you create a sense of progress and accomplishment, which fuels your motivation to continue.
Secret Identity and Epic Wins
Developing a secret identity is a fun and powerful way to embody the qualities you need to overcome your challenge. This alter ego should play to your strengths and make you feel empowered. For example, when McGonigal was recovering from her brain injury, she thought of herself as "Jane the Concussion Slayer."
Your secret identity can be inspired by fictional characters, historical figures, or completely made up. The important thing is that it resonates with you and helps you tap into your inner strength. You might even create a logo or theme song for your alter ego to make it feel more real.
Epic wins are the major milestones on your SuperBetter journey. These should be challenging but achievable goals that inspire you and prove to yourself that you're making significant progress. An epic win could be running your first 5K, going a week without your usual crutch (like an inhaler for asthma sufferers), or finally clearing out that cluttered garage.
The key to epic wins is that they should feel meaningful to you, even if they might seem small to others. Achieving these milestones builds your confidence and makes you more resilient in the face of future challenges.
The Science Behind SuperBetter
McGonigal's approach isn't just based on intuition or anecdotal evidence. There's solid scientific research supporting the effectiveness of game-like strategies in improving various aspects of our lives.
Post-Traumatic Growth and Post-Ecstatic Growth
Two key concepts underlying the SuperBetter method are post-traumatic growth and post-ecstatic growth. Post-traumatic growth refers to the positive personal changes that can occur as a result of struggling with highly challenging life circumstances. Contrary to the common belief that trauma always leads to long-term problems, many people actually emerge from difficult experiences with a greater appreciation for life, stronger relationships, and a clearer sense of personal strength.
Post-ecstatic growth, on the other hand, occurs when we overcome self-imposed challenges, like running a marathon or quitting smoking. This type of growth doesn't require trauma but still results in significant personal development.
The SuperBetter method aims to facilitate both types of growth by providing a structured, game-like approach to overcoming challenges.
The Psychology of Flow
The concept of "flow," developed by psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, is central to understanding why games can be so effective in helping us overcome challenges. Flow is a state of complete absorption in an activity, where we lose track of time and self-consciousness.
Games are particularly good at inducing flow because they provide clear goals, immediate feedback, and a balance between challenge and skill level. By applying game-like elements to real-life challenges, SuperBetter helps us enter a state of flow more easily, making difficult tasks feel more engaging and manageable.
The Role of Dopamine
Games trigger the release of dopamine in our brains, which not only makes us feel good but also enhances our motivation and determination. This neurochemical boost can have lasting effects beyond the gaming session itself.
When we approach real-life challenges with a gamer's mindset, we're more likely to experience these dopamine surges, making us more resilient in the face of setbacks and more determined to achieve our goals.
Potential Pitfalls and How to Avoid Them
While the SuperBetter method can be incredibly effective, it's important to be aware of potential pitfalls and how to avoid them.
Escapism vs. Empowerment
One potential danger of using games or game-like strategies is the risk of using them as a form of escapism rather than empowerment. McGonigal emphasizes that the key to benefiting from games lies in why you play, not what you play or how long you play.
If you're using games or the SuperBetter method to avoid dealing with real-life problems, you're likely to experience negative outcomes. However, if you approach gaming with a positive goal in mind – such as building skills, overcoming challenges, or connecting with others – you're more likely to reap the benefits and feel happier in your non-gaming life as well.
To avoid falling into the escapism trap, regularly reflect on your motivations for playing and ensure that your gaming habits are aligned with your real-life goals and values.
Balancing Virtual and Real-World Engagement
While the SuperBetter method encourages us to approach life like a game, it's crucial to maintain a balance between virtual engagement and real-world action. The goal is not to retreat into a fantasy world but to use game-like thinking to enhance our engagement with real-life challenges.
Make sure that your quests and epic wins involve tangible actions in the real world. While tracking your progress digitally can be helpful, the majority of your efforts should be focused on making actual changes in your life and environment.
Avoiding Comparison and Competition
While some competition can be motivating, it's important not to get too caught up in comparing your progress to others. Everyone's journey is unique, and what constitutes an "epic win" for one person might be a small step for another.
Focus on competing with yourself rather than others. Celebrate your own progress and achievements, no matter how small they might seem in comparison to someone else's.
Real-Life Applications of SuperBetter
The SuperBetter method can be applied to a wide range of life challenges. Here are a few examples of how it might be used:
Health and Fitness
If you're trying to improve your health or fitness, you might set up your SuperBetter game like this:
- Challenge: Lose 20 pounds and run a 5K
- Power-ups: Drinking water, taking the stairs instead of the elevator, eating a serving of vegetables
- Bad guys: Junk food in the pantry, the couch on lazy days, negative self-talk about your body
- Allies: A workout buddy, a supportive family member, an online fitness community
- Quests: Walk for 15 minutes, try a new healthy recipe, do a 5-minute workout video
- Secret identity: "The Incredible Shrinking Woman" or "Captain Fit"
- Epic win: Completing your first 5K run
Career Development
For someone looking to advance in their career, a SuperBetter approach might look like this:
- Challenge: Get a promotion or switch to a new career field
- Power-ups: Reading industry news, networking on LinkedIn, learning a new skill
- Bad guys: Imposter syndrome, procrastination, fear of failure
- Allies: A mentor, a career coach, supportive colleagues
- Quests: Update your resume, reach out to one new contact, complete an online course module
- Secret identity: "The Career Ninja" or "Professor Upskill"
- Epic win: Landing an interview for your dream job
Mental Health and Well-being
For managing stress or improving mental health:
- Challenge: Reduce anxiety and improve overall well-being
- Power-ups: Deep breathing exercises, gratitude journaling, spending time in nature
- Bad guys: Negative thought patterns, excessive worrying, unhealthy coping mechanisms
- Allies: A therapist, supportive friends, a meditation group
- Quests: Practice 5 minutes of mindfulness, do one act of self-care, challenge a negative thought
- Secret identity: "The Zen Master" or "Captain Calm"
- Epic win: Going a full week without a panic attack
The Long-Term Impact of SuperBetter
McGonigal's research has shown that people who use the SuperBetter method for at least six weeks experience significant improvements in various aspects of their lives. These include:
Stronger social support networks: By engaging allies and sharing their journey, players build deeper connections with others.
Higher self-confidence: Achieving quests and epic wins boosts self-esteem and belief in one's abilities.
More optimistic outlook: The challenge mindset fosters a more positive view of life's obstacles.
Improved resilience: Players become better equipped to handle setbacks and bounce back from difficulties.
Enhanced problem-solving skills: The game-like approach encourages creative thinking and strategy development.
Greater sense of control: By breaking down big challenges into manageable quests, players feel more in control of their lives.
Increased motivation: The regular dopamine boosts from completing quests and achieving power-ups lead to sustained motivation.
Conclusion: Becoming SuperBetter
In "SuperBetter," Jane McGonigal presents a compelling case for the power of games to transform our lives. By adopting a gamer's mindset and applying game-like strategies to real-world challenges, we can become stronger, happier, braver, and more resilient.
The SuperBetter method offers a structured yet flexible approach to personal growth and overcoming obstacles. It harnesses the engaging and motivating aspects of games while directing that energy towards meaningful life improvements. Whether you're dealing with health issues, career challenges, or personal goals, the SuperBetter framework can provide a fresh perspective and powerful tools for success.
As we navigate an increasingly complex and challenging world, the ability to approach life's difficulties with creativity, resilience, and optimism becomes ever more crucial. The SuperBetter method offers a playful yet profound way to cultivate these qualities, turning everyday struggles into opportunities for growth and achievement.
By identifying our power-ups and bad guys, enlisting allies, embarking on quests, and pursuing epic wins, we can transform our approach to life's challenges. We can learn to see obstacles not as threats, but as exciting challenges to be overcome. We can build stronger connections with others, boost our confidence, and develop a more optimistic outlook on life.
Ultimately, the goal of SuperBetter is not just to overcome specific challenges, but to become "superbetter" versions of ourselves – more capable, more resilient, and more fulfilled. It's about harnessing the power of games to unlock our full potential and live our best lives.
So why not give it a try? Choose a challenge, create your secret identity, and start your SuperBetter journey today. You might be surprised at how much stronger, happier, and braver you can become when you approach life as the hero of your own game.