https://sputnikglobe.com/20231123/whats-the-brain-science-behind-football-fans-emotional-rollercoaster-1115142216.html

What's the Brain Science Behind Football Fans' Emotional Rollercoaster?

What's the Brain Science Behind Football Fans' Emotional Rollercoaster?

Sputnik International

The study shows football fans' brains react differently to team victories and losses, with rewarding areas activated during wins and introspective networks engage during defeats.

2023-11-23T00:09+0000

2023-11-23T00:09+0000

2023-11-23T00:07+0000

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human brain

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Sports fans often experience intense emotions when watching their favorite teams compete and, now, researchers are working to pinpoint just how these moments manifest in the human brain.Francisco Zamorano Mendieta, a key researcher in the study, explained via a statement that the study "aims to shed light on the behaviors and dynamics associated with extreme rivalry, aggression, and social affiliation within and between groups of fanatics."Officials at Clínica Alemana de Santiago in Chile explored the neural underpinnings of joy and disappointment among football enthusiasts by employing magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to scan the brains of 43 male Chilean fans, split between supporters of Colo-Colo (22) and Universidad de Chile (21).Participants watched a series of match highlights featuring their teams scoring against rivals and vice versa. This setup was critical in studying the 'us’ versus ‘them' mentality prevalent in sports fandom, according to Zamorano, who spent years researching this area.The study revealed distinct neural responses corresponding to the outcomes on the screen. When participants saw their team score, the ventral striatum, caudate, and lentiform nucleus - regions associated with the brain's reward network - were notably active. The specified areas of the brain are vital parts of the reward system. This system releases dopamine, a pleasure-inducing neurotransmitter, whenever we achieve a goal or experience the thrill of our sports team winning.Conversely, brain areas linked to mentalization became active when their team conceded a goal, suggesting fans were trying to rationalize the unfavorable event. Furthermore, the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC) was deactivated during such moments, implying a potential increase in the likelihood of disruptive or violent behavior. The dACC acts as a central junction in the brain, linking the limbic system - responsible for emotional and behavioral reactions - to the frontal cortex - crucial for decision-making and self-regulation.Presented at the annual conference of the Radiological Society of North America, the findings offer insights into the neuroscience of sports fandom and shed light on broader aspects of human behavior, such as political partisanship and group fanaticism.

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soccer fans, brain activity, clínica alemana de santiago, magnetic resonance imaging (mri), reward network, mentalizing network, francisco zamorano mendieta, dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dacc), neurological underpinnings, sports fandom, emotional responses, radiological society of north america, cognitive control, fanaticism, team victory and loss, neural dynamics, group dynamics, behavioral responses, introspective state, disruptive behavior.