Football triggers powerful neurological reactions in fans

Football fans experience dramatic changes in brain activity every time their team scores, wins or loses.
Scientists in Chile scanned the brains of supporters as they watched footage of real match goals — and found that the emotional highs and lows of football trigger powerful neurological reactions within seconds.
When a fan’s team scored, the brain’s reward and pleasure centres lit up, releasing feel-good chemicals such as dopamine, the same neurotransmitter linked to joy, motivation, and even addiction.
But, when their rivals scored, a very different system switched on: regions involved in introspection and emotional processing, helping fans rationalise the painful blow.
The study monitored 60 male fans ages 20–45 from two fierce Chilean rivals — Colo-Colo and Club Universidad de Chile — using fMRI brain scans as they watched 63 goals, from their team, their rivals and neutral clubs.
Researchers also surveyed their levels of fanaticism, including belonging, passion, and even tendencies toward aggression.
The more devoted the fan, the more explosive the brain’s reaction during key match moments.
Lead researcher Francisco Zamorano Mendieta, of Clinica Alemana de Santiago, said: "Deep commitment to the team influences neural activity. Important victories activate reward networks in the brain more than victories against non-rival teams. These networks are formed in childhood."

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