Brain Scans Reveal Why Soccer Fans Lose Control During Rival Matches

Chilean researchers used brain scanners to study 60 male soccer fans while they watched goal sequences from matches involving their favorite teams. The study found that when highly engaged fans watched their rivals score, brain regions that normally control emotions and aggressive impulses showed reduced activity. Conversely, when fans saw their team score against rivals, their brain’s reward system activated intensely—the same areas that respond to sex, good food, and drugs. The more fanatical the fan, the stronger these brain responses became. Researchers categorized participants into spectators, fans, and fanatics. Brain activity only fired intensely when rival teams were involved, not random opponents. Researchers observed that football identity is deeply ingrained, which the neural data supports by showing activation in fundamental systems of reward, identity, and social belonging. (Story URL)