While it is not uncommon for individuals to become more aggressive while playing violent video games, new research shows that these hostile emotions may linger after they are finished with this activity.

According to the results of a study from the Indiana University School of Medicine, researchers found that playing violent video games can lead to changes in the brains of young adult men that alter their cognitive function and emotional control.

To arrive at these results, researchers split 28 adult males between the ages of 18 and 29 into two separate groups. One group was asked to play a game that involved shooting for one week and then refrain from this activity for the next seven days. The second group did not play any video games over the two-week study period.

The study participants underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging analysis at three different points, while simultaneously completing an emotional interference task. Based on their results, researchers could see definite changes in the video game players’ ability to control their emotions.

"These findings indicate that violent video game play has a long-term effect on brain functioning," said Yang Wang, assistant research professor at the University’s Department of Radiology and Imaging Sciences.

If individuals are concerned that the violent video games they are playing are making them more aggressive, they may want to take a personality test and find out.