News 24 January 2020
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New Study Finds Football Fans Experience “Dangerous” Levels Of Stress

24 January 2020
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A new study has found that avid footballs fans experience “dangerous” levels of stress while watching their teams, putting them at risk of suffering heart attacks.

In the study which was carried by researchers at Oxford, they tested saliva from Brazilian fans during their massive 7-1 loss against Germany in the 2014 World Cup.

They found that cortisol hormones rose dramatically during the game, which can increased blood pressure, constrict blood vessels and negatively impact fragile hearts.

Dr Martha Newson, a researcher at the Centre for the Study of Social Cohesion at Oxford, said: “Fans who are strongly fused with their team – that is, have a strong sense of being ‘one’ with their team – experience the greatest physiological stress response when watching a match. 

“Fans who are more casual supporters also experience stress but not so extremely.”

Newson has also suggested football stadiums play calming music after intense games to reduce the stress experienced by fans.