Having to pee makes you scientifically better at video games

February 26, 2026 - 05:25

A compelling new study suggests an unexpected performance enhancer for video gamers: the need to urinate. Researchers have found that a moderate, non-distressing level of bladder fullness can actually sharpen cognitive focus and improve reaction times. The science behind this peculiar boost lies in the brain's processing of competing signals.

When your bladder sends signals of fullness, it activates a part of the brain responsible for impulse control and self-regulation. This heightened state of alertness, the body's mechanism for maintaining continence, appears to spill over into other tasks requiring discipline and quick decision-making. Gamers in the study demonstrated measurably better control and faster responses during strategic gameplay when they needed to pee, compared to when they did not.

This fascinating insight into cross-body cognitive influence is just one of many strange scientific discoveries made recently. In other news, astronauts have consistently described the scent of space, which clings to suits and equipment after a spacewalk, as having a distinct metallic aroma, akin to seared steak, hot metal, or welding fumes—a smell thought to be caused by high-energy vibrations from dying stars. From the biology of focus to the olfactory signature of the cosmos, science continues to reveal the wonderfully odd realities of our universe.