Watch the summer Olympics, it’s good for you!
The Paris 2024 Summer Olympic Games are here. It’s the 33rd edition of the summer Olympics, and the first post-pandemic Games. We’ll be watching the action – both the highs and lows. Over 10 000 athletes from more than 200 countries will be exhibiting superhuman levels of physical and mental strength and resolve. We’ll learn their names and hear about their incredible stories.
Feeling down? Just snag some tickets
If you’re lucky enough to be there in person, there’s a benefit that you’re not even aware of. Research has shown that attending live sporting events improves levels of well-being and reduces feelings of loneliness. People who watch live sports experience greater well-being than those who don’t. The reason for this is probably associated with the social aspects of watching sport. Such events fulfil some of our needs for human connection. The first large-scale study to explore the benefits of attending any kind of live sporting event was conducted in 2023. A research team led by Anglia Ruskin University (ARU) in the United Kingdom (UK) used data from more than 7 200 adults aged 16-85 who lived in England. They participated in the Taking Part Survey commissioned by the UK government. Results showed that participants who attended a live sporting event in the last year got more satisfaction from their lives, felt their lives were more meaningful and were less lonely than those who did not. “Ours is the first study to look at the benefits of attending any sporting event across an adult population, and therefore our findings could be useful for shaping future public health strategies, such as offering reduced ticket prices for certain groups,” commented lead author Dr Helen Keyes, head of the School of Psychology and Sport Science at ARU in a news release. “The live events covered by the survey ranged from free amateur events, such as watching village sports teams, right through to Premier League football matches. Therefore, further research needs to be carried out to see if these benefits are more pronounced for elite level sport, or are more closely linked to supporting a specific team.” She concluded: “However, we do know that watching live sport of all types provides many opportunities for social interaction and this helps to forge group identity and belonging, which in turn mitigates loneliness and boosts levels of wellbeing.”
Just watch!
Watching from the couch? Don’t worry, a 2021 study revealed that people who watched on TV or the Internet were also less depressed. The findings showed that the more older adults watched sports, the less likely they were to be depressed. The researchers examined data from the Japan Gerontological Evaluation Study, a nationwide survey that involved over 21 000 older adults. Respondents were asked about the average frequency at which they watched sports on-site and via TV or online over the past year. About 21 % had depressive symptoms such as persistently low mood, loss of pleasure or interest in activities, feelings of guilt or worthlessness, lack of energy and poor concentration. So, over the next few weeks, remember that you’re not just getting a healthy dose of fandom and fanaticism.
Keywords
Summer Olympics, Olympics, Olympic Games, Games, sports, sport, live sporting event, live