WATCHING sport makes you happier, scientists have discovered.
They reckon being a spectator releases feel-good hormones in the brain, even for those who do not watch regularly.
Sports with big crowds, such as football and rugby, bring the most joy and live sport “fosters a sense of community and belonging”.
Professor Shintaro Sato, from Waseda University, Japan, also revealed the longer term effect is that “brain structures change so people can feel greater well-being more easily”.
His study of more than 20,000 people found sport fans rated their mental health higher than those who did not watch.
MRI scans then revealed the brain’s “reward centre” became super active while people viewed sport clips.
This showed the game was a chemical trigger for feelings of joy.
Prof Sato noticed the structure of supporters’ brains began to change over time so there were more electrical signals in areas linked to positive emotions.
Writing in the journal Sports Management Review, he said: “The increase in brain activity in the reward circuits can be interpreted as feelings of happiness or pleasure.
“These results give an important insight that watching popular sport can improve wellbeing.
“The relationship can also be intensified by watching sport daily and it implies that the longer people watch sport in their daily lives, the more prominent the impact on their wellbeing may be.
“Plus brain structures may gradually change so that people can feel greater wellbeing more easily.”