If you're a sports fan, you may be familiar with the emotional rollercoaster that comes with sports spectatorship. Whether you're part of a buzzing crowd in a stadium, or just watching at home on TV, it's easy to get caught up in the highs and the lows when you celebrate or commiserate with your favourite team or athlete. Those feelings are so strong, in fact, that a study from Croatia, published in PubMed, showed that the emotional stress during a football match increased the risk of a cardiovascular incident. But can watching sports be good for you too?

如果您是一名体育迷，您可能会熟悉观看体育赛事所带来的情绪过山车。 无论您是体育场里熙熙攘攘的人群中的一员，还是只是在家看电视，当您庆祝或同情您最喜欢的球队或运动员时，很容易陷入高潮和低谷。 事实上，这种感觉是如此强烈，以至于克罗地亚发表在 PubMed 上的一项研究表明，足球比赛期间的情绪压力会增加心血管事件的风险。 但观看体育比赛对你也有好处吗？

The evidence suggests that people who watch live sporting events experience greater wellbeing than those who don't. A study published in Frontiers in Public Health by the Anglia Ruskin University in the UK, found sports spectators felt less lonely and had higher scores for life satisfaction. Lead author Helen Keys said in a press release, "watching live sport of all types provides many opportunities for social interaction and this helps to forge group identity and belonging." She says this then reduces loneliness and boosts wellbeing.

有证据表明，观看现场体育赛事的人比不观看体育赛事的人体验到更好的幸福感。 英国安格利亚鲁斯金大学在《公共卫生前沿》上发表的一项研究发现，体育观众感到不那么孤独，生活满意度得分更高。 主要作者海伦·凯斯在一份新闻稿中表示，“观看各种类型的现场体育比赛提供了许多社交互动的机会，这有助于形成群体认同和归属感。” 她说，这样可以减少孤独感并提高幸福感。

But, if for any reason you aren't keen on going to live events, don't worry! Watching sports on TV or on the internet may also have positive effects, according to a 2021 study by Tsuji and colleagues. They found that older adults who watched sports were less likely to have depressive symptoms than those who didn't. On top of that, the sports spectators tended to have richer social networks than non-spectators. The authors suggest that the social networks you gain through watching sports may lower the risk of depressive symptoms.

但是，如果出于某种原因您不热衷于参加现场活动，请不要担心！ Tsuji 及其同事 2021 年的一项研究表明，在电视或互联网上观看体育比赛也可能产生积极影响。 他们发现，观看体育比赛的老年人比不观看体育比赛的老年人出现抑郁症状的可能性更小。 最重要的是，体育观众往往比非观众拥有更丰富的社交网络。 作者认为，通过观看体育比赛获得的社交网络可能会降低出现抑郁症状的风险。

So, the cheers at a live sports event or even casual chit-chat with friends about your favourite team can bring a sense of camaraderie and may reduce loneliness and depression. It seems the health benefits of sports are not limited to physical activity through participation in them, but that we can make gains in our general wellbeing through social bonding.

因此，现场体育赛事中的欢呼声，甚至是与朋友随意闲聊你最喜欢的球队，都可以带来友情感，并可能减少孤独和抑郁。 体育运动对健康的好处似乎不仅限于通过参与体育活动，而且我们还可以通过社会联系来提高我们的整体福祉。