Watching the World Cup can have positive effects on your mental health

Watch the matches and cheer on your favorite team on the world could have benefits for your mental health, according to a British study. In addition to fostering the relationship between fans, it can be a motivation for people to get up and start doing physical activity.

The study, conducted in July by the social charity Better, asked 2,000 sports fans what mental and physical health benefits they get from watching their favorite sporting activity, as well as looking at various lifestyle aspects, including healthy eating , daily exercise and alcohol consumption.

1. Promotes socialization

The benefits of watching your favorite team play were especially noticeable in terms of social interactions.

The study found that one in two people said that watching a sporting event helps them socialize more with family and friends. More than a third of those surveyed (35%) feel included as part of a community.

2. Encourages to be more active

According to the study, a third of those surveyed (34%) stated that watching sporting events inspires them to be more active. In fact, one fifth of women watch sports while working out at home or at the gym.

The study also found that soccer fans (33%) are among the most active, only surpassed by fans of the Formula 1with 34% reporting averaging more than 60 minutes of exercise per day.

3. Improves mood

A study conducted by the University of Leeds Biomedical found that watching your favorite team win can have a big effect on your mood.

A win improved the mood of the participants over a 24-hour period.

BetVictor, study co-author, explained in his blog that there is also “positive stress”, which derives from the increase in heart rate and is similar to a moderate cardiovascular workout, improving your physical and mental health.

In addition, watching the matches causes a drop in blood pressure.

4. It makes you smarter

A study carried out by the University of Chicago showed that when a fan watches a game, the same areas of the brain are activated as if that person were playing.

In this way, new neural networks are activated that link the understanding of language with the experiences of our environment through a process that some, such as sports and cognitive science writer Dan Peterson, have called embodied cognition.

With these new neural networks, the act of watching a game can increase brain function. Dr. Sian Beilock, whose research at the University of Chicago laid the foundation for the study, put it this way:

“The experience of playing and watching sports has long-lasting effects on language comprehension by changing the neural networks that support comprehension to incorporate areas active in performing sports skills.”

Phil Hannen, Director of Health Intervention at Better, concluded: “We can see from these results how essential the presence of sport has been, improving socialization with friends, improving mental health and making fans feel part of a tight-knit community. It also encourages a large number of people to be more active.”

Main news source: BETTER.

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