Football science: How the World Cup affects fans’ brains and bodies

On Wednesday, England and Croatia were in the field for the 2018 World Cup semi-final match, and the results were likely to incite fans no matter what the outcome was, and intense sports fandom started physiological responses, positive and negative, particularly during the World Cup.

Fandom is good for your health, scientists have said. Humans crave community, and the sense of belonging that stems from joining a team enhances mental well-being and gives meaning to one’s life, while watching sports can release hormones that facilitate social bonding. And in the World Cup, a country’s team acts as a stand-in for the country itself, which improves viewers’ national identity, said Susan Whitbourne, a psychological and brain sciences professor at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, who contributed to a study sponsored by LG and British retailer Currys on football fandom. ‘The emotional boost really can’t be overemphasized,’ she told Newsweek. ‘I feel that national identification can really enhance a person’s overall well-being.’

‘It’s enjoyable, fun, exciting and stimulating, but when it starts to bleed into your relationships or makes you unable to work or concentrate, then yes, I think it’s time to take a break,’ she said. ‘It can enhance your identity, but when it starts to crowd out other aspects of identity, that’s when it starts to turn the corner a bit.’ We need to remember that, after all, it has been a tournament.

If viewers’ adrenaline rises regardless of the outcome, how about seeing footballers as role models of the football fields to encourage fans’ love to watch football but refuse to think about the sport’s dark, corruptive power? Take the Japanese National Football team. Following the heartbreaking loss to Belgium, they left behind a spotlessly clean locker room and a thank-you note.

Japanese footballers bowed to their supporters after the loss to Belgium. The good sportsmanship is another example of how Japan – players and fans – have earned the admiration of everyone at the competition in Russia.

Adapted from Newsweek and CNN Website