Watching Sports Can Make You Happier and Healthier: Recent Researches Confirm

Have you ever wondered if being a sports fan is good for you? Good news! Watching sports can make you happier and healthier. Let’s explore why.

Scientists at Anglia Ruskin University in England studied over 7,000 people. They found that those who went to live sports events were:

– More satisfied with their lives

– Felt their lives had more meaning

– Less lonely

But don’t worry if you can’t go to live games. Watching sports on TV or online is also good for you. Other studies have shown that people who watch sports this way are less likely to feel depressed.

Why Does Watching Sports Make Us Feel Good?

The main reason is that it helps us feel connected to others. Here’s how:

1. We Form Groups

When we support a team, we become part of a community. We share something in common with other fans. This gives us a sense of belonging.

2. We Share Emotions

When our team wins, we feel happy together. Scientists call this “basking in reflected glory.” We share the joy of success with our fellow fans.

3. We Support Each Other

Being part of a fan community can make us feel emotionally supported. This can make us more satisfied with our lives overall.

What happens in our brains during injury or when talking to others?

Japanese scholars researched to investigate the part of the brain that is activated while individuals are watching sporting activities. They observed that while watching frequently aired sports, such as baseball, the pleasure-related regions in the watchers’ brains were far more activated than when the individual observed the less frequently aired sports.

Is It More Enjoyable To Watch The Match or Stay at Home with The Family?

Nutritionists and trainers would even suggest that both can be healthy for you! Though attending live events might be the best, and perhaps the most directly beneficial, in many ways watching events at home is almost as good. That is just the essence of it: you are with other fans, this does not matter whether you are in the stadium or at home on your couch.

What Must We Do When Our Team Is Liberated?

When the team loses the feelings that accompany such loss may include sadness or even stress. However, as discussed earlier on, this article has established that the positive attributes of being a fan outweigh the negatives considerably.

Indeed, in the case of the defeat of our team, we always try to avoid so-called ‘reflected failure’. That is, people can become somewhat distant for some time. This is whereby we automatically tend to make the experience to be more of a positive one.

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Wrapping Up

Whether you love football, the Olympics, or your local team, being a sports fan can be good for your mental health. It helps us feel connected, gives us a sense of belonging, and can make us happier overall.

So the next time you’re cheering for your favorite team, remember: you’re not just having fun, you’re also doing something good for yourself!