Fans' Heart Rates Sync at Live Sports Events

Watching a game from the stands may be doing more than raising your blood pressure over a bad call. Researchers in Japan say simply sitting among other fans at a live basketball game was enough to boost a key bonding hormone and literally get hearts beating in sync, reports Medical Xpress. The study, conducted at the University of Tsukuba and published in Translational Psychiatry, followed 60 spectators at two collegiate games, collecting saliva samples before tipoff, at halftime, and after the final buzzer, while tracking heart rates throughout.

"We ... found that the spectators' heart rate patterns became more synchronized," says main author Takashi Matsui. Levels of oxytocin—a hormone tied to social bonding—rose during the games, especially in people who started with lower levels, and stayed high in those who began with more. Cortisol, a stress marker, fell. Those with more synchrony and oxytocin reported greater enjoyment, a stronger sense of unity, and a higher intention to return. The researchers suggest that live sports or similar events might be used as a tool to support social connection.