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Watching live sport is good for you, confirms Anglia Ruskin University research




New scientific research carried out by Anglia Ruskin University (ARU) has found that attending live sporting events improves levels of wellbeing and reduces feelings of loneliness.

Published in the journal Frontiers in Public Health, the research is the first large-scale study to examine the benefits of attending any type of live sporting event.

Cambridge United v Ipswich Town, Harvey Knibbs scores. Picture: Keith Heppell
Cambridge United v Ipswich Town, Harvey Knibbs scores. Picture: Keith Heppell

The study, undertaken by academics at ARU’s School of Psychology and Sport Science, used data from 7,209 adults, aged 16-85, living in England who participated in the Taking Part survey, which was commissioned by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport.

It found that attending live sporting events results in higher scores of two major measurements of subjective wellbeing – life satisfaction and a sense of “life being worthwhile” – as well as lower levels of loneliness.

Lead author Dr Helen Keyes, head of the School of Psychology and Sport Science at ARU, said: “Previous research has focused on specific sports or small population samples, such as college students in the United States. Ours is the first study to look at the benefits of attending any sporting event across an adult population, and therefore our findings could be useful for shaping future public health strategies, such as offering reduced ticket prices for certain groups.

“The live events covered by the survey ranged from free amateur events, such as watching village sports teams, right through to Premier League football matches. Therefore, further research needs to be carried out to see if these benefits are more pronounced for elite level sport, or are more closely linked to supporting a specific team.

“However, we do know that watching live sport of all types provides many opportunities for social interaction and this helps to forge group identity and belonging, which in turn mitigates loneliness and boosts levels of wellbeing.”

Anglia Ruskin University’s Faculty of Science and Engineering will host the Cambridge Independent Science and Technology Awards 2023 on May 18, tickets for which are now on sale.



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