Avid Sports Fans*
1.Research has found that fervent fans become so tied to their teams that they experience horrnonal surges and other physiological changes while watching games,much as the athletes do.
2.The self-esteem of some male and female fans also rises and falls with a gameg outcome,with 10sses affecting their optimism about everything from getting a date to winning at darts.
3.Psychologists have long suspected that many die-hard fans are lonely,alienated people searching for self-esteem by identifying with a sports team.However,recent research suggests just the opposite-that sports fans suffer fewer bouts of depression and alienation than do people who are uninterested in sports.
4.College sports fans are far more likely to wear clothing with their teams logo on it the day after victories than after defeats in what has been referred to as“basking in reflected glory”In other words.
sports fans attain some sort of respect and regard not by their own achievements but by their connection to individuals of attainment.Likewise,fans tend to claim credit for a teams success,saying“we won”to describe a victory,but tend to distance themselves from a teams failure,saying "thev lost,when describing a defeat.
5.While the run-of-the-mill spectator may abandon a team once it starts losing,more committed fans ride the same emotional roller coaster as the athletes.In addition,when their team loses,committed flans tend to blame their teamg failures on officiating or bad luck rather than the other teamg skill.
6.One recent study showed that testosterone levels in male fans(as measured by taking saliva samples) rise markedly after a victory and drop just as sharply after a defeat.In addition,male fans with a low self opinion registered the highest surges in testosterone after a victory.
7.For some fans the emotional roller coaster of watching a game can be addictive.Such fans feel a catharsis when they give free rein to their anger after a defeat or gloat openly in triumph after a victory.
8.It was also found that men and women who were die-hard fans were much more optimistic about their sex appeal and specifically about their ability to get a date after a victory.They were also more optimistic about their ability to perform well at mental and physical tests,like darts and word gaines.
9.Avid fans use their devotion to a team to fulfill their desire to belong to a group or a society.This deep attachment to a team can also lead to better mental health.Commitment to a team can butier people from depression(e.g-a divorcee adopting the NY Knickerbockers giving her a new lease on life),as well as fostering feelings of self-worth and belonging.
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