London - If you thought playing games on your mobile phone at the office was a waste of time, then think again.
It has been claimed that if you play popular game Angry Birds while at your desk, it could help you focus at work.
An article in the Harvard Business Review has cited research suggesting that engaging in some activities we think are non-productive may be a smart move.
Fans across the world reportedly spend 300 million minutes a day on Angry Birds, one of the most popular games on smartphones. Indeed, David Cameron has admitted to playing it. Writing in the HBR, Jane McGonigal – a games designer and author of Reality Is Broken: Why Games Make Us Better and How They Can Change the World – said she has now made it a personal goal to “waste” at least four minutes every hour.
She developed her theory – drawing on neuroscience, medicine and psychology – after realising that seemingly pointless activities, such as looking at photos of baby animals or wandering around the neighbourhood, had helped her focus on work.
She said such practices can make people better problem solvers and more collaborative. “In other words, they can make people more resilient,” she wrote. - Daily Mail