When we play a game — and this is in the scientific literature — we tackle tough challenges with more creativity, more determination, more optimism, and we’re more likely to reach out to others for help.

[“assuming that gaming is fun, gaming generates an incentive for the people involved…  This can be explained by intrinsic motivated activities.  Moreover, intrinsic motivation creates the chance to make positive experiences [in] learning…  This is not a new idea in education, traditionally employed in role play and strategic business games”]
A traumatic event doesn’t doom us to suffer indefinitely.Instead, we can use it as a springboard to unleash our best qualities and lead happier lives.
Here are the top five things that people with post-traumatic growth say:

1. My priorities have changed.
2. I’m not afraid to do what makes me happy.
3. I feel closer to my friends and family.
4. I understand myself better. I know who I really am now.
5. I have a new sense of meaning and purpose in my life. I’m better able to focus on my goals and dreams.

Now, does this sound familiar? It should, because the top five traits of post-traumatic growth are essentially the direct opposite of the top five regrets of the dying.
There are four kinds of strength, or resilience, that contribute to post-traumatic growth, and there are scientifically validated activities that you can do every day to build up these four kinds of resilience, and you don’t need a trauma to do it.
Physical resilience – the number one thing you can do to boost your physical resilience is to not sit still. That’s all it takes. Every single second that you are not sitting still, you are actively improving the health of your heart, and your lungs and brains.
Mental resilience – willpower actually works like a muscle. It gets stronger the more you exercise it. So tackling a tiny challenge without giving up, is actually a scientifically validated way to boost your willpower
Emotional resilience – the ability to feel powerful, positive emotions like curiosity or love, eg when we look at baby animals, when you need them most.  If you can manage to experience three positive emotions for every one negative emotion over the course of an hour, a day, a week, you dramatically improve your health and your ability to successfully tackle any problem you’re facing. And this is called the three-to-one positive emotion ratio. 
Social resilience – you actually get more strength from your friends,your neighbors, your family, your community. Now, a great way to boost social resilience is gratitude. Touch is even better. Shaking someone’s hand for six seconds dramatically raises the level of oxytocin in your bloodstream, now that’s the trust hormone. That means that all of you who just shook hands are biochemically primed to like and want to help each other. 
It turns out that people who regularly boost these four types of resilience — physical, mental, emotional and social — live 10 years longer than everyone else.
[Jane McGonigal: The game that can give you 10 extra years of life, Ted.com -see http://www.superbetter.com]