星空传媒

Skip to main content

Attending live sports may be good for your well-being: research

CF Montreal fans cheer on their team following a goal during second half MLS soccer action against the Philadelphia Union in Montreal, Saturday, March 18, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes CF Montreal fans cheer on their team following a goal during second half MLS soccer action against the Philadelphia Union in Montreal, Saturday, March 18, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes
Share

If you're feeling alone or dissatisfied, a new research suggests that watching live sports in person may help you to improve your level of well-being and reduce that feeling of loneliness.

Researchers from Anglia Ruskin University's School of Psychology and Sport Science analyzed data from 7,209 adults, aged 16-85 and located in England, to examine the benefits of attending .

According to the research published in the journal Frontiers in Public Health, attending live sporting events increases life satisfaction and decreases a person's level of loneliness. 

Researchers found that those respondents who had attended a live sporting event within the past year, compared to people who had not, were more likely to say they were satisfied and had a greater sense of 鈥渓ife being worthwhile.鈥 Researchers observed the same impact with loneliness.

Previous studies have revealed that higher life satisfaction scores are connected with fewer life-limiting conditions and better physical health, successful ageing and lower mortality rates.

鈥淧revious research has focused on specific sports or small population samples, such as college students in the United States,鈥 Helen Keyes, who leads the research, said. 鈥淥urs 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.鈥

Researchers compared the impact of attending live sporting events with being employed, saying the size of the increase in benefits is comparable. They said physical participation in sport improves well-being and reduces loneliness, as well.

The U.K. research is the first large-scale study to examine the benefits of attending these events in person, and researchers say further study is needed to determine whether the level of sport and if supporting a specific team make a difference.

鈥淗owever, 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,鈥 added Keyes.

  

Reporting for this story was paid for through The Afghan Journalists in Residence Project funded by Meta.

CTVNews.ca 星空传媒

The province's public security minister said he was "shocked" Thursday amid reports that a body believed to be that of a 14-year-old boy was found this week near a Hells Angels hideout near Quebec City.

An Ontario man says it is 'unfair' to pay a $1,500 insurance surcharge because his four-year-old SUV is at a higher risk of being stolen.

Local Spotlight

They say a dog is a man鈥檚 best friend. In the case of Darren Cropper, from Bonfield, Ont., his three-year-old Siberian husky and golden retriever mix named Bear literally saved his life.

Paleontologists from the Royal B.C. Museum have uncovered "a trove of extraordinary fossils" high in the mountains of northern B.C., the museum announced Thursday.

The search for a missing ancient 28-year-old chocolate donkey ended with a tragic discovery Wednesday.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is celebrating an important milestone in the organization's history: 50 years since the first women joined the force.

It's been a whirlwind of joyful events for a northern Ontario couple who just welcomed a baby into their family and won the $70 million Lotto Max jackpot last month.

A Good Samaritan in New Brunswick has replaced a man's stolen bottle cart so he can continue to collect cans and bottles in his Moncton neighbourhood.

David Krumholtz, known for roles like Bernard the Elf in The Santa Clause and physicist Isidor Rabi in Oppenheimer, has spent the latter part of his summer filming horror flick Altar in Winnipeg. He says Winnipeg is the most movie-savvy town he's ever been in.

Edmontonians can count themselves lucky to ever see one tiger salamander, let alone the thousands one local woman says recently descended on her childhood home.

A daytrip to the backcountry turned into a frightening experience for a Vancouver couple this weekend.

Stay Connected