We don’t often hear that watching TV is a health-promoting activity. Actually, just the opposite. We are often told to cut back or limit TV time.. Well I came across this recent research that focuses on a specific type of content that has been found to have health benefits.
Turns out that watching sports has been found to have health benefits! This is sure to make my youngest son in particular very happy! The only sports I watch regularly are Mets games during baseball season. Considering their record recently, I’m not altogether sure watching them is so good for my health.
Be that as it may, there were three studies done in Japan that revealed watching sports triggered feel-good emotions (happiness and pleasure), provided opportunities to connect with others and those who regularly watched sports showed higher gray matter volume in those areas of the brain associated with reward and pleasure.
Obviously if you don’t enjoy sports or watching them makes you anxious or angry, then this is not the best activity for you. As a lifelong Mets fan I can say that I am a more resilient person and while I enjoy watching baseball, there are plenty of times when a game gets out of hand that I just change the channel and watch something else. But if you get too upset, then that might not be the best choice for you.
So watching sports can not only boost mood but also have long term positive effects on brain structure.
Does it surprise you to know watching sports is now believed to boost well-being?
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and, I’ll be sharing this with my husband and son. They love all kinds of sports.
Haha – that’s great!!
Yes! Finally something my husband does that contributes to his health !
I’m sure you are speaking for many women!!!
It does surprise me. I thought you were going to say comedy. Very interesting indeed.
I thought the same thing Holly.
I watch TV for one hour, at most, per week, on Sunday mornings. It’s not sports shows, but it’s good for my spiritual health. 🙂 Thanks for sharing Ms. Ann. All those years watching football, golf, NASCAR (Look! He’s making a left turn!), and basketball weren’t completely wasted.
Apparently not lol!