Spectators' mental health is more resilient, regardless of whether they were athletes or not
Japanese scientists completed a study that lasted several years and proved ambiguously: the risk of depression in adults decreases if they actively watch sports shows. At the same time, it does not matter whether they have engaged in any physical activity in the past or not.
The effects on the health
Researchers from the University of Tsukuba evaluated the effects of watching sports on the health of people of different ages. Back in 2019, they sent questionnaires to residents in over 60 cities and other populated areas in Japan. They finally analyzed the answers of 21,000 people over 65 years of age.
They assessed the level of their mental health through a special test of 15 questions: whether they are satisfied with their daily life, whether they feel despair and how common does it happen, etc. It turns out that fans of sports shows on TV are 0.7 times less likely to develop depression than those who are not interested in sports, reports asahi.com.
