Winning Fans See Self-Esteem Boost

If you’re a sports fan you know it feels good when your team wins, but a new study pinpoints exactly how it affects you. University of Alabama researchers found fans of a college football team that wins a big game could experience a boost in self-esteem that lasts at least two days after the event. On the other hands, fans of the losing team won’t necessarily suffer a loss in their self-esteem following the game, though they may see a decrease in their mood. Study co-author Siliva Knobloch-Westerwick explains, “Just feeling connected to others while watching the game helped sustain self-esteem. […] For fans of the losing team, sharing the pain may have protected them from losing self-esteem. Those who didn’t watch at all experienced a self-esteem drop – they felt completely left out.”