Watching Sports Could have Psychological and Neurophysiological Benefits, Fresh Research Finds
Watching sports could have psychological and neurophysiological benefits, fresh research finds, looking at how it impacts well-being in the general population.
Researchers in Japan have found that there could be psychological and neurophysiological benefits to watching sports. Led by Associate Professor Shintaro Sato from the Faculty of Sport Sciences at Waseda University, the research team used data analysis, surveys and advanced neuroimaging to investigate how sports viewing impacts well-being in the general population.
The research, published in the Sports Management Review, tackled the challenges involved in measuring well-being - something that can often lead to biased results due to its subjective nature.
"A significant challenge in well-being research is the subjective nature of measurement procedures, potentially leading to biased findings. Therefore, our studies focused on both subjective and objective measures of well-being," said Professor Sato.
The study's first phase analysed data from 20,000 Japanese residents and confirmed a pattern where individuals who regularly watch sports report higher levels of well-being. This phase, however, was limited in its ability to probe the underlying mechanisms of this relationship.
In a subsequent online survey involving 208 participants, the research team assessed well-being before and after exposure to various sports videos. The findings highlighted that popular and engaging sports such as baseball had a more pronounced effect on enhancing well-being compared to less popular sports like golf.
Observing brain activity with MRI
Perhaps more notably, another aspect of the research involved neuroimaging studies. The team used multimodal MRI to observe changes in brain activity among fourteen participants while they watched sports clips. The results were telling: sports viewing triggered activation in the brain's reward circuits, areas typically associated with feelings of happiness and pleasure.
What’s more, those who frequently watched sports showed increased grey matter volume in these reward-related brain areas, suggesting that regular sports viewing could lead to structural changes in the brain.
"Both subjective and objective measures of well-being were found to be positively influenced by engaging in sports viewing,” Professor Sato added.
“By inducing structural changes in the brain's reward system over time, it fosters long-term benefits for individuals. For those seeking to enhance their overall well-being, regularly watching sports, particularly popular ones such as baseball or soccer, can serve as an effective remedy.”
What’s particularly interesting about the research is that it expands on existing sports management studies by focusing not just on sports fans but on the general population, suggesting that regular sports consumption could be a key strategy for improving public health.