Move over, Mario and Luigi. Step aside, John Madden. There's a new video game in town and it's expected to do wonders for our stress levels.

While video games are generally associated with anti-social behavior (who hasn't had a boyfriend that refused to leave the couch until he'd taken out all the aliens and gotten to the next level?) and even seizures, researchers at McGill University have designed a video game that not only improves our social interactions, it cuts cortisol (aka stress hormone) levels by 17%.

The game, called The Matrix, is designed to "train players in social situations to focus more on positive feedback rather than being distracted and deterred by perceived social slights or criticisms," says a press statement released to Eurekalert.org. As players become more positive, their self confidence increases and their stress level drops.

One study asked employees of a call center in Montreal to repeatedly click on a smiling face while avoiding frowning faces on the screen, getting them to focus on the positive feedback. The results showed that those who played the game had cortisol levels that were 17% lower than those of the control group.

"There are many possible applications for this kind of game," said Prof. Mark Baldwin of McGill University, "from helping people cope with the social anxiety of public speaking or meeting new people, to helping athletes concentrate more on their game rather than worrying about performing poorly."

Jonesing for a joystick? Try the stress-relieving games at MindHabits.com, a spin-off of the project.