Why Watching Sports on TV is Good for You
According to the latest research, sports viewership may not be such a health risk after all. Benefits range from social connection to measurable increases in muscle nerve activity and everything in between.
Reduced Risk of Depression
Yes, you might spend the evening moping after your favorite team is ripped to shreds, but the long-term result of your athletic viewing habit may actually involve improved mental well-being. This is particularly true if you’re a social baseball viewer, as the increased interaction related to baseball viewing house parties actually go a long way in building the bonds necessary to maintain a healthy social life.
Sports psychologist Elizabeth Tindle tells ABC that in fostering a sense of belonging, watching sports with friends and family prevents the sense of isolation that often precedes strong cases of clinical depression. And even when you’re viewing a game by yourself you can still do so as part of a community with the assistance of mobile devices and social media.
Brain Workout
The athletic dunce stereotype is completely unfair because while some sports fans definitely prize brawn over brains, an in-depth look at statistics requires a fair amount of brain power. But even if you neglect the mathematical aspect of athletics, the mere act of watching that weekly football game could improve your mental capacity.
According to a University of Chicago study, individuals participating in the sports experience, including watching games on television and talking about them with friends, see improved neural connections related to linguistic ability and comprehension. Athletes experience the exact same increases in brain activity, which perhaps explains why a simple sports fan can be just as well-versed in the associated terminology as the professional athletes he or she watches on television.
Muscle Nerve Activity
If you’ve ever really gotten into a game and then later felt completely exhausted, you aren’t simply suffering the mental strain of an athletic performance gone wrong. You actually managed to give your body a decent workout. As a study published in the “Archives Italiennes de Biologie” found, increased muscle activity during passive viewing is possible, as long as the content portrays physical activity. In the “Archives” report, viewers merely watching fast-paced walkers experienced increases in blood pressure, heart rate and muscle nerve activity.
In a related “Frontiers” study, researchers found that these physical benefits could easily be enhanced by asking viewers to imagine that they were taking part in the activity in question. The same concept is believed to apply to alternative forms of athletic activity.
So, do you enjoy watching sports on TV with your family and friends? Share us your “viewing party” stories!
