Sports Spectating & Well-being

It’s spring, and that means baseball, and the NBA and NHL playoffs in the US.  Scientists in Japan were interested in the impact on well-being of watching sports.

Researchers analyzed data from 3 studies:

• The relationship between watching sports and well-being in the general Japanese population (20,000 participants);

• An online survey investigating the impact of watching different sports (208 participants); and

• MRI imaging evaluating the impact of watching sports on brain activity and brain structure (14 participants).

They discovered that frequent sports spectatorship was associated with enhanced well-being; the positive impact was intensified when participants watched more popular sports, such as baseball, than less popular sports, such as golf; and watching sports triggered activation in the brain’s reward circuits, indicating happiness and pleasure.  Sports fans who watched the most sports had larger gray matter volume in the reward system, which suggests that regular spectating can change the brain. 

Takeaway:  Watching sports can have a positive impact on psychological and physical well-being.  Go Team!

Well-being is a journey, not a quick fix.

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Sources

Keita Kinoshita, et al., Watching sport enhances well-being: evidence from a multi-method approach: Sport Management Review: Vol 0, No 0 - Get Access (tandfonline.com), Sports Management Review, Mar 22, 2024.

Waseda University, The joy of sports: How watching sports can boost well-being | ScienceDaily, Apr 15, 2024.