Montreal - Researchers at McGill University in Montreal have announced the development of a video game they say can reduce production of the stress-related hormone cortisol by 17%.

The researchers have developed a suite of games that they say "train players in social situations to focus more on positive feedback rather than being distracted and deterred by perceived social slights or criticisms."

One title involves clicking on the one smiling face among many frowning faces on a screen as quickly as possible.

"We already knew that it was possible to design games to allow people to practice new forms of social perception, but we were surprised by the impact this had when we took the games out of the lab and into the context of people's stressful lives," said McGill psychology professor Mark Baldwin.

The new findings appear in the October issue of the American Psychological Association's Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.

A spin-off company, MindHabits, was created to commercialize the game -- which is scheduled for release this month through its website.

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http://www.mindhabits.com